danville today news, september 2011

[email protected]

Taking Time to Talk with Trees By Jody MorganThe art of bonsai culture seeks to distill the essence of a tree’s encounter with the forces of nature

over the course of a lifetime by presenting in a container a miniature specimen carefully trained to express the struggles the tree might have undergone and overcome in the landscape. Developed in Japan from an even more ancient Chinese practice of growing trees in pots, the centuries old art made its first major debut in Europe at the Paris World Fair Exposition of 1889. Initially unable to make their own bonsai survive, Europeans began gossiping about “Oriental secrets” and “Japanese magic.” Today bonsai clubs across the United States, including our local Diablo Bonsai Club, eagerly share information about creating, caring for and exhibiting bonsai.

Patience is the essential virtue practitioners of the art of bonsai require. Although the Japanese term bonsai loosely translates as “to plant in a basin,” putting a tree in a pot is just the beginning. Kunitoshi Akabane founded the Diablo Bonsai Club in 1981 to teach others the art that he first observed as a boy helping his grandfather tend trees in Japan. Known to his friends as K, Akabane insists that anyone willing to take the time to properly follow the basic steps he teaches can successfully grow bonsai. For some, he admits, expressing the essence of a tree comes easily, for others it is a difficult process. But he believes any novice enthusiast willing to take the necessary time to move sequentially through the process of nurturing and training can produce a pleasing specimen.

The first step, K explains, is to keep your tree alive. Sustaining a life is a responsibility. Pruning and shaping the tree come after you have lived with a tree for the first year. Once you have wa-tered daily, fed, repotted and studied the nature of your tree, you are ready to envision how the tree would age in the landscape. Observing the

Bargains For Charity!The Blackhawk Museum Guild was organized in 1991 by co-founder Pat Behring

as the volunteer entity of the world-class Blackhawk Museum, a non-profit corporation dedicated to “ensuring significant automotive treasures blending art, technology, culture, and history would be exhibited for public enjoyment and educational enrichment.”

The almost 200 Guild members serve as docents and help with fundraising and operational activities.

In the spring of 2009, Blackhawk Museum guild member Joyce Tucker flew to Berlin, Germany to see her newest grandchild. Due to unforeseen circumstances, she spent three days in the hospital. Unable to speak German, she spent her time develop-ing a new idea to raise money for the Blackhawk Museum. After spending many hours making lists of jobs and plans, she settled on the idea of holding a rummage sale.

When Joyce returned home, she presented the idea to the Guild Steering Com-

PRSRT STDU.S. Postage

PAIDPermit 263Alamo CA

September 2011 Serving Danville

Volume II - Number 113000F Danville Blvd. #117, Alamo, CA 94507

Telephone (925) 405-NEWS, 405-6397Fax (925) 406-0547

Alisa Corstorphine ~ [email protected]

The opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do not necessarily reflect that of Danville Today News. Danville Today News is not responsible for the content of any of the

advertising herein, nor does publication imply endorsement.

See Guild continued on page 23

K Akabane holds a camelia in training

Guild members pose with some of the treasures people will be able to purchase at the 2nd Annual Blackhawk Bargain Basement Sale Committee members shown above from left to right front row are: Joyce Farrell, Barbara Fromm and Carol Ching. Second row: Mary Lou Paschal, Chairman Joyce Tucker, Dee Thompson, Honey Pettigrew, Pat Behring, Danielle Smith, Linda Swofford and Wynne Dalley. You will not want to miss this sale!

See Bonsai cont. on page 15

Our Community Remembers The Exchange Club of San Ramon Valley along with local veterans’

organizations is hosting the Tenth Anniversary 9-11 Remembrance Cer-emony for the residents of the San Ramon Valley.

The event will be held at All Wars Memorial at Oak Hill Park, located at 3005 Stone Valley Road in Danville, on September 11 and will begin at 5:50PM and conclude at 6:40PM. Immediately following the ceremony there will be a free community “American picnic” featuring hot dogs and ice cream.

This event will feature prominent guest speakers, hundreds of Scouts with an array of American Flags, joint Police and Fire Department honor Guard and Fife & Drum Corps., a bagpiper, a flight of doves, renowned tenor George Komsky and many other patriotic contributions.

Guest speakers include Winston Copeland, Rear Adm. Ret., decorated Navy Squadron Commander and Joe Viscuglia, 9-11 Survivor.

There will be an essay contest based on the event with cash prizes for high, middle, and grade school student residents of the five San Ramon Valley communities. The essay title and prizes will be announced in a sub-sequent press release. The essay forms and instructions will be distributed at the event and will be available online at srvexchangeclub.org.

SRV Emergency Preparedness Fair2011 marks the tenth anniversary of the attacks on 9/11 and the San Ra-

mon Valley Citizen Corps Council would like to invite you to remember and prepare at the 6th annual San Ramon Valley Emergency Preparedness Fair.

Both the Town of Danville and the City of San Ramon along with various See Fair continued on page 7

www.yourmonthlypaper.com - September 2011 ~ Danville Today News

Sunday, Oct 9, 2011

October 9, 2011October 9, 2011

2 8 t h A n n u a l

F O R E D U C A T I O N2011 PRIMO’S RUNChevron presents the...

5K & 1/2 Marathon San Ramon/DanvilleBenefits the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation

www.primosrun.com

T I T L E S P O N S O R

P L A T I N U M S P O N S O R

G O L D S P O N S O R S

the

prickly pear

DAILY DEALSOur Community Buying Together.

Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)VFW Post 75, San Ramon Valley, meets every second Thursday of the month at the

Swain House at Hap Magee Ranch Park, located at 1025 La Gonda Way in Danville. The next meeting will be held Thursday, September 8th. Doors open at 7PM, and the meeting begins at 7:30PM. For more information, contact Post Commander Nathan Greene at (925) 875-1747. Find out more about the VFW at www.vfw.org.

100 Year Celebration!Please join the Danville Women’s Club as

we celebrate our 100 years of service to the San Ramon Valley with an Open House on Wednes-day, September 14th from 4pm-7pm at the Women’s Club Clubhouse located at 242 Linda Mesa Ave in Danville. Refreshments will be served.

Meet members, learn about the Club’s beginning and view our interesting history as we have served our

communities, raised funds for charity and volunteered since 1911. For more informa-tion about the Danville Women’s Club visit www.danvillewomensclub.org.

Drop ZoneSaturday, September 24th, 10-3

The East Bay Chapter 101 Blue Star Moms is having a Drop Zone to collect donations for their upcoming “Holiday Hugs” care package mailing to our Troops. All donations will be mailed to our brave men and women serving our country overseas. Come say hello, sponsor a care package mailing ($12.50), make a postcard or two, or drop off a donation to show your gratitude for what our brave troops do for all Americans each and every day! Our goal is to send out 2,000 care packages, and we cannot do it without the generous support of our community.

Go to www.bluestarmoms.org and click on care packages for more infor-mation, including a list of our donation items.

Thank you for supporting our Troops!

SonRise Equestrian Foundation Celebration!SonRise Equestrian Foundation is celebrating its 5th anniversary of offering

free-of-charge a variety of programs for children socially, emotionally, or physically challenged. The warmth of wise and patient horses schooled by caring professionals enables participants in the programs to gain self-confidence, build relationships, and discover the means to achieve their full potential. Unique to SonRise, Traveling Tails takes miniature horses to children in hospice and terminal care facilities. Imagine the delightful surprise of waking to find a friendly horse in your hospital room!

“Wente, Wine & Equine” promises to be a gala evening. The event will begin at 6PM on Friday, September 16th at Wente Vineyards, 5500 Arroyo Road, Livermore, with two of the Traveling Tails minis greeting guests as the two-footed attendees tuck into appetizers and continuing with silent and live auctions and a wine cellar raffle. Music by the Jack Pollard Jazz Group will accompany dinner and later dancing. Although Black Tie is optional, black jeans and boots won’t be out of place.

Tickets are available on the SonRise website www.sonriseequestrianfounda-tion.com. SonRise is a 501(C)(3) non-profit.

[email protected] Danville Today News ~ September 2011 -

Boulevard ViewBy Alisa Corstorphine, EditorA Blast From the Past

Last month my husband and I attended our 30th high school class reunion We graduated from Homestead High School down in Cupertino, CA, in the same year, and we’re one of about three couples who still remain from our high school days.

Some people have said that with the advent of the internet and social media such as Facebook that reunions

are passé. I have to disagree. While we do know more about each other by seeing the little tidbits they post, there’s no substitute for seeing someone in person and reconnecting with them face to face.

One such connection was with a very special history teacher, Mary Lou Lyon. She has attended most, if not all, of our reunions. She’s now 85, and although she’s a little creaky, she’s as sharp and witty and enjoyable as she’s ever been.

She was the teacher who brought American History to life for us. She went out of her way to find ways to bring energy and vigor to a subject that many find boring – at least the way it’s usually presented. But Ms. Lyon was different, and she would often dress in the costume or uniform of the time or bring in props and period pieces that brought a certain realism and specificity to our lecture. She’s one of those teachers that made a difference, and if we hadn’t gone to our reunion, we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to see her again, share stories, and enjoy her wry wit!

My husband commented that walking into the room of old school chums, some he had known since Kindergarten, he felt an instant sense of comfort and familiarity unlike that with any other room of ‘strangers.’ It makes sense when you think about it, because we spent hours/days/months/years with these kids who are now adults. Although we haven’t seen many of them for over 30 years, we still instantly picked up where we left off. It’s a bit like coming home, and if you’ve put off going to your own reunion, I urge you to reconsider. We only get one trip around this planet, and whatever you’re hesitant about confronting at your reunion is very small compared to the friendships you can rekindle, the smiles you’ll share with old friends, and the feeling of continuity you’ll enjoy.

I was amazed at the broad variety of professions and skills our old friends had developed. One of them got into the film industry and develops all of the content you see on the screens on a show like NCIS or 24. All those little TV and computer screens in the show need to have content developed, all the electronics have to work, and everything has to look real, and our friend has a company that does this for the film industry. It was so interesting!

Another friend made a comment that made my husband cringe when he said (on Facebook, no less!) that now as an adult he could finally hug all the “girls that used to be cheerleaders!” Maybe that’s too much information, but its true because all those barriers are removed as adults, and everyone is just happy to be alive, to see each other, to be able to share old stories, (crushes!) and to compare histories and perceptions.

The night went way too fast, and we could have spent several more hours talking and laughing. I guess it’s good to leave it like that, wanting more. The best advice I can give you is to get back in touch with your peers via Classmates.com, or Facebook, and make it to your next reunion to see for yourself. People both change and stay the same, and you’ll find out for yourself how it feels to “come home” after all these years.

Doug Grude, Mary Lou Lyon, Evan and Alisa Corstorphine


Contra Costa Coin ShowThe 15th annual Contra Costa Coin Show, Saturday and Sunday,

October 8th and 9th, has a new home at The Crowne Plaza Hotel, located at 45 John Glenn Drive in Concord. While the location has changed, the event will continue its four year tradition of financial support to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano.

The doors open to the general public at 10AM each day. Over 30 west coast coin dealers will be on hand to buy, sell, trade, and offer free appraisals to the public. Other items will be available at the show including paper money, tokens, medals, supplies, estate jewelry, and watches as well as coin photography.

“This is a great event for both the collector as well as the general public,” said Bill Green, treasurer for the Diablo Numismatic Society, the non-profit coin club hosting the annual show. “There are so many fascinating items at the Contra Costa Coin Show, and anyone wanting to know the value of their coins and collectables can get multiple, free, informal appraisals. It’s convenient, safe and the $3 admission is good for both days.”

There will be drawings for valuable coins and other prizes. Also, Boy Scout Troop #65 will host a youth exhibit that includes free coins for children.

The Diablo Coin Club donates a portion of the admission fees to the Food Bank as well as any donations provided from club members, coin dealers, and the general public.

Contact Bill Green of the Diablo Numismatic Society for more informa-tion at (925) 351 – 7605, or visit the club’s website at diablocoinclub.org.

Quirkology of Quilts: Warmth to WhimsyNow through September 25th the Museum of the San Ramon Valley is

showing some unique and fabulous quilts in their newest exhibit Quirkol-ogy of Quilts: Warmth to Whimsy. The exhibit includes masterful works of art created by local quilters. Although there are traditional quilts on display, many use new and creative techniques which capture one’s attention with their artistic flare and diversity.

On Saturday, September 17th volunteers from the Diablo Valley Quilters’ Guild will be on hand to demonstrate a variety of skills. On September 24th Margaret Linderman will talk about Wearable Art from 10:30-11:30am.

Museum visitors are also invited to join a Quilt Treasure Hunt where they are given the opportunity to identify the locations of a variety of quilts which have been placed in businesses around town. Those who successfully complete the hunt will be placed in a drawing to win a unique quilt.

The Museum of the San Ramon Valley (in the Danville Depot) is located at 205 Railroad Avenue, Danville. Exhibit hours are Tuesday through Friday 1pm-4pm. Saturdays the Museum is open 10am-1pm. There will also be special hours on Sunday, September 25th, when the Museum will be open from 1pm-5pm. Admission is only $3 for guests and free for Museum members. Please call 925-837-3750 or go to www.museumsrv.org for additional information.

Your Community OpportunityBy Nathan Greene (USAF), Commander, VFW Post 75

YOU have the opportunity to make a difference by naming a portion of the Veterans Memo-rial building or donating towards a permanent plaque honoring your family or a Veteran. The 85-year-old building is being renovated and expanded for Veterans and community activities.

The last surviving WWI Veteran, Frank Buckles, recently died at age 110. About 1,000 WWII Veterans pass away every day. Those from the Korean conflict and all conflicts since are also leaving us, many without the help available through Veterans’ services and the Veterans Administration. These services will now be available in the finished building.

Veterans’ buildings throughout the United States were built with the commitment to serve Veterans in perpetuity. Most Veterans are either retired or on disability with limited incomes. Funding the Veterans portion of this over eight million dollar construction finds us presently short of our goal by about two million dollars.

Please consider a sizable tax deductible donation towards this project. For more information, or to donate, visit www.srvVeteransHall.org or call the Veterans office at 925.362.9806.

Supervisor Seeks Liaison ApplicantsContra Costa County Supervisor Gayle B. Uilkema is seeking applicants

for a San Ramon Valley Community Liaison position. This position is criti-cal in providing a direct link between the people of the San Ramon Valley, which includes Alamo, Danville, and San Ramon, and their county govern-ment. The many responsibilities of the position include maintaining contacts with government entities and community groups throughout the District 2 portion of the San Ramon Valley, communicating constituent issues and concerns, as well as serving as a resource by briefing the Supervisor and other staff members on community issues, effectively communicating to the constituents the established county programs and goals and reporting to them the county actions and positions that affect them, interfacing with county departments and managing projects that emanate from and/or affect the San Ramon Valley residents, managing community relations activities, staffing the liaison business office, attending meetings, events and functions, and preparing press releases. The position is 19 hours per week and, in addition to the community responsibilities, requires at least one half day, per week, be spent in the Martinez office handling regional as well as more global issues, and conferring with Chief of Staff to determine work schedule and work load. District 2 San Ramon Valley residents are preferred.

A special application form is required and available at www.cccounty.us/hr. The deadline for application is September 9, 2011.


925-831-8310

Because your smile means so much, we are proud to offer

FREE WHITENING

Get a FREE ZOOM! In-Offi ce Whitening treatment after a com-pleted new patient check-up including cleaning and x-rays! Some restrictions may apply. Offer is valid upon completion

of treatment plan recommended by doctor.Ask for details. A $600 Value!

$500OFF

(Invisible braces)

$500OFF

$89Exam,

Cleaning& X-Ray

Treating our patients like family...Enjoy watching a movie during your visit!Experience the future of dentistry with our digital technologyComprehensive Family and Cosmetic DentistrySpecializes in Implant Dentistry to help restore your beautiful smileAppreciate the dazzling results of your smile makeoversTMJ Appliances for ultimate headache prevention

anquil spa atmosphere

925-831-8310

Because your smile means so much, we are proud to offer

FREE WHITENING

Get a FREE ZOOM! In-Offi ce Whitening treatment after a com-pleted new patient check-up including cleaning and x-rays! Some restrictions may apply. Offer is valid upon completion

of treatment plan recommended by doctor.Ask for details. A $600 Value!

$500OFF

(Invisible braces)

$500OFF

$89Exam,

Cleaning& X-Ray

Treating our patients like family...Enjoy watching a movie during your visit!Experience the future of dentistry with our digital technologyComprehensive Family and Cosmetic DentistrySpecializes in Implant Dentistry to help restore your beautiful smileAppreciate the dazzling results of your smile makeoversTMJ Appliances for ultimate headache prevention

anquil spa atmosphere

A L A M O P L A Z A D E N TA L G R O U P

• Relaxing massage chairs• Enjoy Noise Cancelling headphones while watching a movie• Evenings and Saturday schedule• Experience the future of Dentistry with our Digital Technology• Comprehensive family and cosmetic Dentistry• Specializing in Implant Dentistry to help restore your beautiful smile• Appreciate the dazzling results of your smile makeovers• TMJ Appliances for ultimate headache prevention

Dr. Sangalang • Dr. Evangelista925-831-8310

220 Alamo Plaza, Suite E, Alamowww.alamoplazadentalgroup.com

STILL LOST! HELP FIND COBY!One year old black/tan

Cattle Dog/Shepherd mix still at large. Attempts from strangers to capture have failed.

Last seen at Alamo Plaza and in Downtown Danville.Spotted over 10 times on Iron Horse Trail.

May be wearing red, canvas “pirate dog” collar and blue bone tag.

Shy, skittish, and fast. Difficult to catch. Very Important: If you see him, please be submissive

and do not chase. Keep Coby in your sights, take a cell photo if possible, and call Julie (ANYTIME) at 415-806-0658.

Thank you for any information you may have on his whereabouts.

GENEROUS REWARD

No equity left, but wanting to sell? Call me to discuss

your choices.

San Ramon Valley Newcomers

The San Ramon Valley Newcom-ers Club invites new and long-time residents to its monthly luncheon on September 15th at Crow Canyon Country Club locate at 711 Silver Lake Dr. in Danville. We meet from ll:30 - 2PM, and the cost is $21. Our program will be a fashion show presented by Draper’s & Damon’s Ladies Fashion Store. Call Myrna at (925) 560-0656 for information and reservations.

Alamo Danville Newcomers Club

Please join us for our Annual Sep-tember Kick-Off Luncheon. This is a perfect opportunity to learn about the many activities we offer such as golf, book group, wine tasting, art group, phi-lanthropy, and many other special get togethers like our Cruise on the Bay for Fleet Week, day excursions ‘antiquing’ in San Anselmo, or hiking at Land’s End at Ocean Beach. Our group is a non-profit women's organization welcoming new residents or long time residents in the Alamo Danville area. To learn more, visit www.alamodanvillenewcomers.com, email [email protected], or call 925-775-3233.

AAUW Membership BrunchThe Danville-Alamo-Walnut Creek group of the American

Association of University Women (AAUW) will hold their Membership Brunch on Saturday, September 10th from 9:30AM-12:30PM at the Crow Canyon Country Club located at 711 Silver Lake Drive in Danville.

The AAUW promotes equity for women and girls, lifelong education, and positive societal change. To learn about the brunch topic visit www.aauw-da.org and click on the link “Invitation to the September 2011 brunch.” For brunch or membership questions contact Tena at (925) 837-0826 or [email protected].

www.yourmonthlypaper.com

steam cleaner (sanitizing with hot water without using chemical cleaners) verses accumulating allergens in between periodic carpet cleanings.

Want to know what change has made the biggest impact to temperature control in our home? A few years ago, we upgraded our attic installation and added an energy efficient roof fan! Besides installation set-tling since original construction – the materials and recommendations have changed in the last 30 years. We believe this low cost improvement is why our home is cool in the summer and warmer in the winter.

• Are your energy bills high? • Does your house get hotter or chillier than you'd like? • Are you concerned about wasting energy? • Are you interested in learning how to LOWER YOUR ENERGY

USE AND SAVE DOLLARS FOR YOUR HOME? If you answered YES to any of these questions, then we invite you to join us

on Monday, September 19th from 6:30-8pm at the Danville Town Hall, located at 400 Front Street in Danville. Sustainable Danville Area and the Town of Danville are co-hosting an energy-savings forum in conjunction with a new state program called Energy Upgrade California (https://energyupgradeca.org/overview).

The evening’s topics will include tips on making your home more energy efficient and information on how to reduce your bills with rebates and cost savings. A local homeowner who has upgraded their home using the Energy Upgrade California program will describe their experience. To qualify for the program, homeowners must first provide a professional energy upgrade per-formance assessment that details the conditions of their house. If the results of the assessment show that an upgrade will make a home 15 to 40 percent more energy efficient, homeowners can qualify for rebates ranging from $1,500 to $4,000 to have a contractor do the retrofit. Participants attending the forum will receive a breakdown of the rebate options available and how to apply. After the presentation, contractors will be on hand to answer specific questions residents may have about improving energy efficiency in their homes.

For more information, please visit www.sustainabledanville.com or tele-phone Anne Cavazos at 925-830-9262.

- September 2011 ~ Danville Today News

157 Merano Street, Danville. Hidden Valley! 4BR/3BA + bonus room! Fresh paint, new carpet-ing, granite island kitchen w/ maple cabinetry. Updated fixtures. Great location! Community pool & tennis. Backs to open space! $859,000

www.thecoxteam.com

REAL ESTATE

320 Pheasant Run Drive, Blackhawk. Gorgeous estate offers 5BR, 4.5BA , and sits on ~.40 acre, providing breathtaking views of the golfcourse and rolling green hills. Great floorplan, fine finishes throughout, and a beautiful parklike yard with pool and spa. Ideal for entertaining! $2,789,000

The Cox TeamThe Cox Team

601 Sycamore Valley Road West 925.314.1111DANVILLE

Pat Cox [email protected]

Sustainable Danville Area – Tip of the Month By Cynthia Ruzzi, President, Sustainable Danville Area

It’s been a ‘cool’ summer. Sounds like the start of a conversation returning school kids might have with their friends, but I’m actually referring to our weather. In a summer when our community has rarely reached the average temperatures of the blistering high 80’s, my one complaint is minimized by the many benefits our weather has offered us these past three months. My impatience with the Italian heirloom tomatoes still green in my garden is offset by lovely weather that welcomes cool morning runs, afternoon hikes, daytime alfresco dining, ball play filling our parks, comfortable evenings for park concerts, and of course, lots of bicycle riding. Yes, it’s been a ‘cool’ summer and best of all – mine was air conditioning free!

Our few occasional hot spells lasted only a few days, and the natural air-conditioning of the Bay Area, better known as fog, enabled us to go the whole summer without turning on the air conditioning in our home. Before you imagine my family sweltering, huddled around a noisy fan, you should know our home is a comfortable 70 – 75 degrees Fahrenheit both day and night.

Our single story home on the Southeast side of Danville is partially blan-keted on the west by two redwood trees, which we have lovingly named ‘Mark & Julie’ after the neighbors whose property they occupy. Our modest home faces south with sleeping quarters situated on the cooler north side of the property. Open the windows after sunset, and the house captures the foggy breezes coming over the western hills across Cow Creek ensuring cool indoor temperatures for the following day.

I doubt the architect/builders were considering energy conservation when our home was built in 1978, but they certainly got a lot right. And throughout the years, our green remodeling has improved on the original footprint. Besides replacing older windows with vinyl double paned retrofits years ago, we have installed Low-E glass windows on the west side – which makes it comfortable to cook dinner even on 90 degree days. Northern and eastern exposures offer us natural light and drapery drawn closed across the remaining windows on hot sum-mer days keeps out the sun’s heat and prevent fading of furniture and carpets.

The open plan is tiled throughout most of our home which is a welcome feature for temperature control and improved air quality. We quickly clean the floors using a

[email protected]

Danville Today News ~ September 2011 -

Lost Dog!

Danville Dog is MissingHe has become lost in this paper!

September’s Winner Is ~ Marsha Scott

If you find him and your name is drawn!

He is very small, so you will have to look hard if you want to find him.

To be eligible send a letter telling us where you found him, along with your name and address, to:

Lost Dog! ~ Danville Today News3000F Danville Blvd #117 • Alamo, CA 94507

$50 REWARD

925.552.7953www.ThePortableCIO.com

We Service Computers!

Portable CIO is an information systems consulting firm, focused on implementing stable, reliable, and efficient solutions,

intelligent investment in technology, and building long term relationships. How can we help you?

• PC or Mac • Repairs • Upgrades • Office Moves and Networking • • Virus/Spyware/Adware Removal • Internet/ Cloud Computing •

• Data Recovery • Back-up Solutions • Maintenance • • Email Solutions • Remote Phone Support • Free Recycling •

Great People. Great Service.

Join Portable CIO, Inc. on Facebook!

Greenbrook Elementary By Jenise Falk, Principal

I now have a pretty good collection of “Life is Good” t-shirts, hats, mugs, and stationery. The smile on Jake’s face with his trusty dog, Rocket, by his side, and a simple phrases of love, hope, and optimism, captures my heart. “Good vibes are contagious,” “Do what you like, like what you do,” “Optimism can take you anywhere.” It is with hope, exuberance, and optimism that we being the 2011-2012 school year!

On August 24th, the staff welcomed over 640 Green-brook Eagles fresh from summer vacation and excited to meet their teacher and their classmates! This year we hired three new teachers. Mrs. Karp, Mrs. Leong, and Mrs. Haling come with many years of teaching expertise and experiences. They join a staff that has been together for many years, with a rich tradition of excellence and community spirit. In my third year as principal at Greenbrook, I am confident in our capacity to deliver a rigorous curriculum, relevant to today’s learner and our ability to build relationships with each other, our students and our community.

Each year, we begin with a wildly popular Ice Cream and Popsicle social, where teachers and families join together for a wonderful evening of sundae building and socializing. A trio of GB dads scoop vanilla ice cream while moms monitor the delicious topping of whipped cream, chocolate sauce and assorted candies. In September, we look forward to our Innisbrook Wrapping paper sale, sponsored by our EAGLE fund. The wrapping paper sale is just a part of our foundation budget which contributes to the many successful programs that we have here at Greenbrook which supports students and their learning. Art, music, extra library time, aides in

the classroom, intervention programs, replacement and innovative technology, and our Rainbow (social skills) program are just a few of the items that our EAGLE fund provides through the generosity of our parent and community donations. We also look forward to our traditional Wednesday morning Flag Salute, held in our courtyard every week. On September 7th, we will honor of the victims and the heroes of 911. Every year, through songs, murals, flags, and special presentations by community groups, we pay special tribute to those heroes of our nation.

On the third day of school, a new student joined us in 5th grade. She had never been to America and spoke little English. Imagine how she felt that day! It speaks to the entire school community as her teacher and the class welcomed our new student from Korea with open arms. A parent eagerly volunteered her translating services. With a bright, wide smile, her teacher exclaimed to me at the end of the day that while her new student knew very little English right now, she will, by the time the year is over! And that is why we teach, we are optimistic, we believe that we can make a difference each and every day in the lives of children. We think “Life is Great!” at Greenbrook!

Pack 818. Cub Scouts cleaning up the Greenbrook Campus on the weekend before our Back to School Nights. It is the largest pack from one elementary school in the area.

Fair continued from front pagecounty, state, and federal agencies will be showcasing their response resources and programs for preparedness on Saturday, September 10th from 9am to 2pm at the LDS Church located at 655 Old Orchard Road in Danville. Event attendees will enjoy viewing a Jaws of Life demonstration from the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District, a tour of a Red Cross Shelter, the Second Military Medical Brigade from Camp Parks, a presentation by the San Ramon Police canine team, and a display from the United States Army’s critical response unit.

Government agencies are getting prepared, and now it’s your turn! This

event is all about families and personal preparedness! Bring your child’s car seat between 10am and noon and stop by the car seat check point. Gather ideas to update or create your home earthquake kit. Help your kids learn to never hide during a fire by participating in the Hug-a-Firefighter presentation. Get your child fingerprinted, and take part in a Stranger Danger class. Learn fire safety in the home with a tour of the Kids Fire Safety House.

Don’t leave your four-legged family members at home. There will be free classes on pet first aid, and the Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center and Urgent Care will be on hand to provide shots and microchip implanting at a reduced cost.

Oh and there’s more! Enjoy a free BBQ lunch, learn about CPR and AEDs, interact with vendors and agencies specializing in preparedness, tour a fire truck and police car, and even learn how to properly use a fire extinguisher.

The first 500 families who complete our preparedness bingo game will re-ceive a FREE emergency supply gift, so gather up the whole family and head down to the San Ramon Valley Emergency Preparedness Fair.

For more information, call (925) 838-6626 or visit www.firedepartment.org.

www.yourmonthlypaper.comStone Valley Middle School By Shaun McElroy, PrincipalHappy New (School) Year

Our new school year has really taken off quickly. Ed Fund President, Yvonne Poon and PTA President Pam Absher both held retreats in mid-July for their respective executive boards in preparation for the school year. The Class Size Reduction (CSR) Campaign chair Joan Remmert has been working on fundraising since last April. To date we are at 90% of our CSR goal. Our annual PTA Get Acquainted Pizza Night “fun raiser” was attended by over 300 people. Huge thanks to parent volunteer Lynette Breyton for taking on this job for the 7th consecutive year. Our new student orientation organizations WEB (Where Everybody Belongs) had a 98% participation rate on Web

Day in late August. The WEB program is under the direction of teachers Wendy Nacamu and Eric Rasch.Digital Divide Narrows at Stone Valley

New Assistant Principal Elizabeth Calhoon joined our staff in July. Ms. Calhoon is a Google Certified educator, and she brings with her a wealth of knowledge of 21st Century Education. To better serve our digital natives clientele, Ms. Calhoon has created several digital interfaces to provide our community with up to date information and a platform for feedback.

Texting Service - complete this link to sign up for our texting service: http://bit.ly/liontexting. The Unsubscribe link is: http://bit.ly/svmsunsubscribe. Social Networking Links (all posts will go to all networks) On Google+ : http://goo.gl/h8WiS. On Facebook: http://goo.gl/sgizW. On Twitter: http://goo.gl/PWMXh.

Assistant Principal Calhoon is the sole proprietor of these sites and she will monitor the incoming and outgoing content. We encourage everyone to join the Stone Valley information networks.

New instructional technology can also be found in our math lab and Algebra I class-rooms. Teachers Joanna Book and Mike Dougherty are using the Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org) instructional videos to enhance classroom instruction. To gain some insight to this new technology I highly recommend seeing the TED Talk (www.ted.com) performed by Salman Kahn and featuring Bill Gates (www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/sal-man_khan_let_s_use_video_to_reinvent_education.html).

For the second consecutive year we have created a new elective class that provides students an opportunity to exercise their creativity and intellect. The new Video Production class led by teacher Jeff Hager will create our weekly television broadcast - SVTV.

In order to insure that technology will be use appropriately we have created the SV Personal Electronic Device (PED) Policy - PED’s may be used for legitimate instructional purposes, as determined and posted by individual teachers. The use of PED’s is on a trial basis. Students will be allowed to use their PED’s at lunch for educational purposes. This policy will be revisited regularly to determine students’ responsible use.


Serving the Bay Area with honesty and integrity since 1973

3191-M Crow Canyon PlSan Ramon

(925) 866-2200In Loehmann’s Shopping Center (next to Lucky’s)

2395 Monument Blvd., Suite JConcord

(925) 680-4433(Across from Costco Gas Station, next to Harvest House)Since 1973 www.MacFloor.com • [email protected]

Carpets, Hardwood, Laminate & Stone

Fur & Feathers Pet SittingExceptional care for your pet

Daily visits plus dog walksLock and leave, no worries

Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner

925-998-9317Bonded, Insured & References

[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]



Overnights

Barbara MonroeOwner


[email protected]

Specializing in Interior & Exterior

Tim O’Halloran • 925.743.9535Free Estimates

• Power Washing Prep• Painting

• Spray-Enamel Finish• Restaining Decks

Since 1970


St. Isidore SchoolHello September!Jean Schroeder, Principal

We are rockin’ and rollin’ as we roll out our 2011/2012 school year. Our first official day back to school was Monday, August 22nd. We had an early dismissal that day; we like to gently bring our students back to school. As for myself, I am so happy to be back at school where I belong. Being in Catholic education most of my adult journey, I always feel at home when I walk in the doors of St. Isidore School. Our

school theme this year is “Believe,” and I do believe this is going to be a fantastic year. When our teachers returned to school, we had a staff retreat led by our guidance

counselor, as well as four professional development days. The retreat day was a time to reflect, meet with our prayer partners, and share with one another what we believe we can achieve this year. This is one of my favorite days because I am always in awe of the individual who chooses the path of being a Catholic schoolteacher, as I have.

September at Saint Isidore starts off with not one, but two “Back to School” nights. We have one for our K-5 students and a separate one for our middle school students. These are big nights for our teachers as we introduce them to our school community. Our parents are invited to visit their son/daughter’s classroom and personally meet their teachers. I enjoy seeing our new parents as well as visiting with our veteran par-ents, who for some, this may be their last year after nine years of Catholic school.

Our eighth grade students, the leaders of our school, as I like to call them have their first dance on Friday, September 9th. This is just the start of many activities for this exciting year. We are offering a Parent University night on Thursday, September 15th. This year, author Maria Lawson Fiala will be with us speaking from her book, Letter from a Distant Shore. This is an event no one should miss.

The week of September 19th through September 23rd, our school has ITBS test-ing. This national standardized test is similar to the STAR testing the public schools administer. The tests are administered to students in Kindergarten through eighth grade. Each test level consists of a series of tests administered in content sections with each section designed to measure specific skills. We ask our students to get plenty of rest during that week.

St. Isidore’s annual Golf & Gathering event will be on Monday, September 26th. We are thankful for this huge fundraiser for our school led by our Parent Teacher Group. This event is one our parents look forward to because it also offers a hike for many moms while both moms, dads, grandparents, and friends are out on the golf course. Afterwards, there is a welcome dinner bringing our community together. It is a fiesta this year!

Speaking of fiesta, Father Franks Kids will be with us again on September 30th. Father Frank’s Kids is a ministry in our parish that was started by Father Frank Colacicco to help the orphaned and abandoned children of Mexico and Central America. This is an annual event that we share with our parish. Our visitors share Mass with us, play bingo and have lunch with our 8th grade students, dance in our courtyard, and have a banquet on the weekend.

After months of planning, working, and endless hours by our library committee, I am happy to say our library renovation opened as planned on the first day of school! What an amazing project, and I am so proud and thankful to all who reached out in support of this endeavor. It is awesome! If you are in our neighborhood, please come by and say hello. Our students, teachers, faculty, and parents cannot believe the difference it has made. All I can say is, thank you, thank you, thank you!

Charlotte Wood Middle School By Christopher George, Principal

We are thrilled to welcome you back to school for the 2011- 2012 school year. Our PTA parents and office staff has been hard at work with our registration this month as we prepared for the opening of school.

Those of us that work in schools always look at the beginning of the school year with the same mix of nervousness, excitement, and anticipation that I’d imagine many of our students do. We are excited to

try our new ideas, try out our new technology, and most importantly, meet the kids with whom we’ll be spending the next few months learning and exploring the middle school curriculum.

This year holds many exciting challenges and opportunities for the Char-lotte Wood Chargers. We look forward to continually challenging ourselves as education professionals in order to continually seek the best way to chal-lenge your children. This year, that goal will involve looking at how we help those students who struggle with learning in whatever arena. We will be looking at new ways to make sure that we are indeed reaching every student and being available to every student who needs help in order to succeed.

Additionally, a few Charlotte Wood staff members have been working since last school year to create a climate and character program which would reach every Charlotte Wood student and member of our community. We look forward to introducing and implementing that later on throughout the year.

Thanks to our Charger Fund, we also look forward to pushing forward with some exciting developments in educational technology, including full use of iPads for our 8th graders. As always, we are beyond grateful for the support that our Charger Fund provides in this crucial area of education.

If you’d like to keep up with our activities, I urge you to follow us on Twitter @cwmsinfo, or at our website at cwms.schoolloop.com. In the meantime, please join me in looking forward to, and enjoying, our first few days of school. As always, please contact me with questions or comments you may have at [email protected].

License # - 963083 - Licensed, Bonded and InsuredFree Estimates

• Kitchen and Bathroom Remodels• Crown Molding, Casing, Baseboard• Window and Door Installation• Tile and Hardwood Installation• Drywall Installation and Repair• Decks and Fences• Toilet and Faucet Installation• Handyman Projects

[email protected]

HW Construction

925-497-2687Do you have a list of projects

you would like to get done? Ask us about our specials...

Mention this ad at the time you receive your FREE estimate

and get 20% off labor!

Art in the Park benefiting Art in the Schools in the SRVUSD will be held October 1st and 2nd from 10-5 at the Danville Town Green located on Front Street in downtown Danville. Ten percent of art sales will go to “Art in the Schools.” The event showcases the art of over 60 professional artists who work in painting, sculpting, jewelry, ceramics, photography, and other media. There will also be art demonstrations, live music, food and wine, a juried art exhibit, children’s hands-on art activities, and train rides for kids. For more information visit, www.adas4art.org.


THESERVICEOUTLET.COM

For Acura, Honda, Lexus, and Toyota vehicles only. Valid only at THE SERVICE OUTLET on the day of service. Please present coupon when service order is written. Not valid in conjunction with other coupons, offers or discounts.

REGULAR PRICES

FACTORY SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE

10%OFF

Improve mileage and extend the life of your

vehicle – follow recommended service schedules.

TIMING BELT SPECIAL

Any Timing Belt Service.

$50OFFREGULAR PRICE

GREAT SERVICE. EVEN BETTER VALUE.

$2995+TAX

LUBE, OIL & FILTER

Multi-Point Performance Inspection

Drain and Replace All Engine Oil

Install Genuine Factory Oil Filter

Synthetic oil extra.

SAN RAMON2151 San Ramon Valley Blvd.

925.837.3000

LAFAYETTE3340 Mt. Diablo Blvd.

925.283.3133

SINCE1993

CONVENIENT SHUTTLE SERVICE TO HOME, THE OFFICE, BART AND BACK.

1009074-TSO-ALToday-5x6.25.indd 1 9/15/10 11:07:47 AM

Monte Vista High School By Janet Terranova, Principal

It is hard to believe that while summer is not of-ficially over, school has started. Students are getting back into “school mode” with a full load of classes, homework, and school activities. The excitement generated by the return of our students is palpable. Two of our student groups, Peer Link and ASB Leadership, welcomed the Class of 2015 with a new student orientation. Students had the opportunity to participate in team building activities, get a tour of

their new school, and begin to feel part of our Monte Vista Community. Many of us in the world of education function under the delusion that the

new year really begins in August when school starts and ends in June when school is out for summer vacation. For many students and educators August is the beginning of a new year, a chance for a fresh start. August is an excellent time for students to reflect on the previous year and make positive changes in their approach to learning and school. This notion can set a positive tone for the school year. It allows students to reflect on the previous year, both the successes and challenges, and encourages students to set new goals for the coming year. If you have a student at home, encourage this idea. Ask them to list the positive school behaviors they developed last year and what new goals they would like to achieve this school year.

As a reminder to all parents with students in grades 7 through 12, please remember that all students entering these grades must have proof of an adoles-cent whooping cough booster shot (Tdap) within 30 days of starting school. To help protect your children and others from whooping cough, a new California law (AB 354) now requires students to be vaccinated against whooping cough. By law, students who do not have proof of receiving a Tdap booster shot will not be able to start school until proof is provided to the school.

With the beginning of the school year underway, we have many activities and opportunities for community involvement. For more information about Monte Vista and our activities, please visit our website at mvhigh.org.

Ed Ramos, a Broker with J.Rockcliff Realtors and a Certified Distressed Property Expert (COPE), as well as a Certified Short Sale and Foreclosure Realtor (SFR), has developed a marketing strategy and website that is focused on assisting distressed homeowners find information and investi-gate options to avoid the foreclosure process. As an expert in short sales, a real estate transaction option that banks will consider instead of foreclosure with specific guidelines, Ed is determined to provide essential knowledge to homeowners in the East Bay facing this unfortunate circumstance.

Visitors to www.ForeclosureHelpinEastBay.com. will find information regarding the process of foreclosure, what effects foreclosure has on a homeowner, and ways to prevent the foreclosure process from continu-ing. The website features easy to understand informational tools such as a list of frequently asked questions, as glossary of terms and free reports as well as resources that allow the homeowner to get their questions ad-dressed in a confidential manner.

For more information about foreclosures and short sales please visit www.ForeclosureHelpinEastBay.com, or contact Ed Ramos directly at (925) 765-3179 or email [email protected].

Ed Ramos moved with his family to the San Ramon Valley in 1973 and has worked in the Bay Area as a Realtor since 1989.

A Short Sale Can Help You...

Avoid Foreclosure

DRE# 01043554

San Ramon Valley High School By Joseph A. Ianora, Principal

We have made it through the first couple weeks of school! Students and teachers have shaken the dust off and have thrown themselves into the business of learn-ing. It is wonderful to see the school come alive with the energy and passion that our students bring to make SRVHS such a special place.

Our mission statement “The San Ramon Valley High School community empowers students to achieve their educational potential” continues to be the focus this year.

We continue to improve our educational process by focusing on the 3 R’s - Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships (changed from the original ‘Reading, ‘Riting and ‘Rithmatic – did anyone check the grammar?).

Rigor – Foster learning through challenging, standards-based curricula. Relevance – Utilize strategies that establish rich connections between the cur-

riculum and the world outside of school. 21st Century Practice: Infuse project-based lessons, performance-based assessments, and technology into all classes.

Relationships – Establishing a safe and welcoming environment is para-mount to our mission! This means we support students and their learning, and we support staff and their work.

We continue to partner with the District to improve on these 3 R’s; this year we have made three big leaps –

Common assessments in nine areas (English 9, 10; Algebra I, II, and Geometry; World History and US History; Biology and Chemistry).

Technology – We have a full time tech coordinator, and our campus is wireless.Vertical Teaming – We will be meeting as a “vertical” team – elementary

and middle schools that feed into SRVHS. This vertical teaming will help us strengthen the educational process.

I know this is a lot to absorb, but the bottom line is that we care about your student and want two things: a partnership with you and to educate your son/daughter to the best of their ability.

Welcome Back to SRVHS! Let’s make this a great year together.


WALNUT CREEKSAN RAMONCONCORDROSSMOOR DANVILLE [ Opening this Fall ]

contracostaoncology.com 925.939.9610

With Themmy story

Continues.

CONTRA COSTA ONCOLOGY

AT CONTRA COSTA ONCOLOGY, we are committed to providing the highest quality care. Specializing in comprehensive cutting-edge treatment programs for all forms of cancer and blood disorders, our nationally recognized oncology experts and specialized oncology nurses are dedicated to providing the best possible care experience. We understand the wide array of concerns and challenges faced by you and your family, so we ensure the most sophisticated levels of medical oncology and hematology care, while providing you with the utmost support, compassion, and respect.

Preparedness Takes Planning By Evan Corstorphine, Portable CIO

Computers are important and often critical tools for work and entertain-ment…when they work. The problem is, they fail. How it turns out depends on how well you have prepared. It’s like being ready for an earthquake. We never know when one will hit, but those who have a plan in place will be the ones to most likely have a better outcome.

Backups and disaster planning should be multi-layered, depending on your level of risk. We have many residential customers who describe their computer to us and say, "I don't use my computer for business, there isn't anything impor-tant on there." But when we ask if they have photos, iTunes, contacts, documents, music libraries, Quicken files or family tree files, they realize

their computers have become just as important as a business computer. Years of work or even an entire business can be wiped out overnight by lack of planning for the inevitable computer failure. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a hardware failure, a software glitch, fire, theft, flood, or a power surge on; they all equally destroy your data.

We’ve had several calls from businesses who want to move their computing entirely “to the cloud.” The term “cloud computing” is an over-used buzzword for running your programs and saving your data through your web browser instead of saving it to your local computer. Instead of files residing on your computer, they are all hosted in other places on the internet. However, even the cloud fails, as we recently experienced.

Many email services are internet-based. Last month the email service we use had a dramatic failure, and email service was severely disrupted. While the provider was able to restore current incoming mail service within a day, access to past emails took up to 10 days. Unfortunately the email provider was hammered by circumstances not of their making. Even though they provide the email service, they were using a common Microsoft product called Exchange, that suffered a corrupt email database. What occurred was a software problem that unfortu-nately can happen to any email provider at any time; it was simply their turn. How they dealt with it and how they communicated what was going on is why we remain with the company. But the lesson here is that it can happen to anyone, anywhere.

One item that impacted the ability of our email provider to restore client email involved the is-sue of the size of some users’ Outlook files. They found a number of users had very large mailboxes. Some had over 100,000 messages in a single folder which took up to 24 hours to recover. Outlook performance dramatically suffers when your email database gets larger than 2GB. The rule of thumb is “smaller is better.” Keep email files small enough to be managed and backed up. The best way to handle this is to create archives of older email and to regularly clean out your Sent Items and Deleted Items folders. We have seen people use “Deleted Items” as another storage folder, so nothing ever gets deleted or “thrown away.” If you think you may need an email again, create a new folder and file it away, but keep the trash can empty.

I’ve written many articles on the need for back-ups. Why? Because it is “when” and not “if” you are going to need your data from a backup. For my first level of defense I use an offsite backup service that continuously backs up my files. For my extremely critical data I use a multi-prong approach which consists of daily internet backups, a weekly image backup to a local external drive, burning multiple DVDs of my most critical data files, and I have fam-ily members in other cities store duplicate copies. For some files like my address book, I periodically print out a hardcopy. And occasionally, I copy my entire hardisk drive to a new drive so if the first drive fails I can install the copied drive, update the changed files, and be back on my feet. If all of this seems like a lot of trouble, think about how much trouble it is to put everything back together after a failure or disaster wipes out all of your data...

What is your level of risk? If you need help analyzing your situation or improving your ability to recover from a failure event, call the friendly staff of Portable CIO for a consulta-tion (925-552-7953), or email us at [email protected]. Advertorial

www.DawnKingBookkeeping.com

DawnKing

• QuickBooks Setup• A/R, A/P, Bill Payment• Bank Reconciliation• Financial Statements

• Cash Flow Planning• Online Remote Services• Paperless Office Solutions

Full-charge bookkeeping services. 20 years’ experience.

Bookkeeping Services

925.933.0553


Enjoy Your Yard With Help From The Patio & Fire PlaceThe calendar may say September, but since the warm weather was a bit late in arriving,

you may have just noticed that your patio furniture isn’t as inviting as it was when you stored it last winter. If sprucing up your outdoor living space is on your “to-do” list, head to The Patio & Fire Place and spend the rest of summer and early fall cushioned in luxury.

With two stores conveniently located in Danville and Alamo, The Patio & Fire Place has offered customers the highest quality furniture at the best price since 1975. They carry everything you need to complete your outdoor living space, including chairs, coffee tables, ottomans, recliners, loveseats, sectionals, wedge units, rockers, canopies, umbrellas, and more.

Owners Roger and Beth Hill sell brands made in the United States and beyond that are designed to provide long-lasting enjoyment, such as Lane Venture, Patio Renaissance, Gold Crest, Gloster, Windham, Tropitone, AluMont, Hanamint, and OW Lee. Most furniture can be custom ordered with the color and fabric grade of your choice. All will provide years of luxurious comfort.

Roger says, “If you have a large family, you’ll love our hard-to-find dining sets that seat eight to twelve.” Although the Hills price everything at 30 to 50% off retail, Roger will tell you that the most important thing they do is provide exceptional customer service. They welcome custom orders, don’t charge extra for them, and will assist with any needs

long after the order has been delivered.Cooler nights are perfect for

gathering around a fire pit, and The Patio & Fire Place carries a selection with hearth tops designed to blend in with any outdoor living space.

If you must head indoors, you can still enjoy a fire with a Rasmussen gas log set. The Patio & Fire Place sells sets in different shapes and sizes as well as fireplace glass doors.

Find everything you need to furnish your outdoor living space at The Patio & Fire Place, located at 3426 Camino Tassajara in Danville (925.648.0293) and at 3189 Danville Blvd. in Alamo (925.820.8492), open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm and Sunday from 11am to 5pm. Advertorial

Roger Hill, owner of The Patio & Fire Place

SAVE UP TO 60%

Danville 925.648.02933426 Camino Tassajara

Alamo 925.820.84923189 Danville Boulevard

End of Season Clearance Sale

Open Tues thru Sat 10 to 6 Sunday 11 to 5 Closed Monday

Sale Good Thru September 30thLimited to stock on hand

Contra Costa Taxpayers Association

The Contra Costa Taxpayers Asso-ciation will hold a luncheon meeting on Friday, September 30th at Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant located at 611 Gregory Lane in Pleasant Hill. A social time will be-gin at 11:30AM, and the luncheon and program will begin at noon.

Special guest speaker for the meeting will be Lance Izumi, author and Senior Director for Education at Pacific Re-search Institute. His topic will be Saving Our Schools.

Tickets for the event will be $35 for cur-rent members and $45 for non-members. (Membership package is also available for $100, which includes one luncheon ticket and one new individual resident member-ship through December 31, 2012.)

The meeting is open to the public. Make reservations and remit prepayment via the website PayPal by Thursday, September 22nd, or send a check, payable to Contra Costa Taxpayers Association, via USPS to CoCoTAX, P.O. Box 27, Martinez, CA 94553-0114. Additional details are available at the club’s website at www.cocotax.org.


Alamo Store 820-4731 Alamo Plaza Shopping Center Stone Valley Rd. Exit West off Hwy 680 to Danville Blvd., Right 1 Block. Mon. - Fri. 9:30-8:00, Sat 9:30-6:00, Sun 11:00-5:30

www.ShopRichards.com

Livermore Store 447-0471 Plaza 580 Shopping Center 4502 Las Positas Rd., 1st St. Exit off Hwy 580, 1 Block Mon. - Sat. 9:30-8:00, Sun. 10:00-6:00

Ad prices effective through 10/4/11

50% off ____________________________________ E-Mail Address

Any One Regular Priced Item

Valid Through 10/4/2011

*Alamo *Livermore Sign up for our e-mail list and enter a monthly drawing for a $50 Gift Certificate!

Thank You For Supporting Local Family Business

VALUABLE COUPON

CLIP’N SAVE

One coupon per family per day. Cannot be combined with other offers. Excludes custom framing and pr ior sales, Klutz Books, Demdaco, Hexbug, Wilton, Games, CD’s, Weird California Book, Buckyballs, Martha Stewart, Meri Meri, Pillow Pets and Webkinz. Limited to stock on hand. Ot her exclusions apply. Discount taken off regular price

Selected Halloween 30-50% off!

Decorate your home for Halloween. Decorate your home for Halloween. We have it all from tasteful to Ghoulish! We have it all from tasteful to Ghoulish!

Halloween Decor, Lights, Spiders and Webs, Halloween Decor, Lights, Spiders and Webs, Paper Party Goods, Ghouls, Witches, Crows & Paper Party Goods, Ghouls, Witches, Crows &

Vultures, Skeletons and more. Vultures, Skeletons and more.

Copic Markers Markers for Creative People We carry a complete line of

Copic Sketch Markers

20 % off Entire Line reg. $6.99

Sets also 20% off

White Foamboard 20” x 30” $3.88

reg. $4.99

32” x 40” $5.88 reg. $7.99

I’m already on the list!





Fall Maple & Oak 6’ Garlan d

$4.99 - $6.99 reg. $11.99-$19.99

All Artificial Pumpkins

3” to 20” diameter

50% off Our pumpkins will last the

season in all your fall decorating

All Fall & Everyday Floral

40% off

14” Fall Potted Mums

Now Only $7.99

Beautiful new colors to bring fall into your home.

Stems, Swags, Garlands, Bushes, Picks, Wreaths and

Pre-Made Arrangements

30% off

All Scarecrows 12” to 48” High

Hand-blown Decorative Glass Pumpkins 50 % off

You will find these one of a kind, stunning works of art in some of the

best gift shops this year. You will find them at the lowest price

at Richards.

Now $9.99 - $14.99 reg. $19.99 to $29.99










VALUABLE COUPON

CLIP’N SAVE









Sets also 20% off


reg. $4.99

32” x 40” $5.88 reg. $7.99











VALUABLE COUPON

CLIP’N SAVE









Sets also 20% off


reg. $4.99

32” x 40” $5.88 reg. $7.99











VALUABLE COUPON

CLIP’N SAVE









Sets also 20% off


reg. $4.99

32” x 40” $5.88 reg. $7.99

I’m already on the list! Alamo Store 820-4731 Alamo Plaza Shopping Center Stone Valley Rd. Exit West off Hwy 680 to Danville Blvd., Right 1 Block. Mon. - Fri. 9:30-8:00, Sat 9:30-6:00, Sun 11:00-5:30









VALUABLE COUPON

CLIP’N SAVE









Sets also 20% off


reg. $4.99

32” x 40” $5.88 reg. $7.99







$4.99 - $6.99 reg. $11.99-$19.99






40% off


Now Only $7.99




30% off





at Richards.

Now $9.99 - $14.99 reg. $19.99 to $29.99






$4.99 - $6.99 reg. $11.99-$19.99






40% off


Now Only $7.99




30% off





at Richards.

Now $9.99 - $14.99 reg. $19.99 to $29.99






$4.99 - $6.99 reg. $11.99-$19.99






40% off


Now Only $7.99




30% off





at Richards.

Now $9.99 - $14.99 reg. $19.99 to $29.99






$4.99 - $6.99 reg. $11.99-$19.99






40% off


Now Only $7.99




30% off





at Richards.

Now $9.99 - $14.99 reg. $19.99 to $29.99






$4.99 - $6.99 reg. $11.99-$19.99






40% off


Now Only $7.99




30% off





at Richards.

Now $9.99 - $14.99 reg. $19.99 to $29.99

14” FallPotted Mums

Now Only$7.99

DT


California Wine MonthBy Monica Chappell

Break out the Pinot - September is California Wine Month, and that makes it a perfect time to enjoy a glass of California wine. California Wine Month celebrates the state’s ideal climate for wine and its importance to the California economy. Did you know that California is the fourth largest wine producer in the world and makes 90 percent of American wine? In celebration, learning about wine can be one of the easiest and most fun things you do all month.

Here’s my Top Ten list of ways to make wine more accessible all month long: 1. Open a California Sparkler for No Reason - There are so many

reasonably priced bubblies that they can be a better bargain than many still wines. Put a bottle in the fridge, and open it for dinner.

2. Drink More White Wine With Cheese - I've discovered that white wine generally tastes better with most cheeses than red. The acidity in white wines is what does the trick.

3. Take a Flight - Try a wine bar you have never visited, and order a flight of wine. 4. Take Notes - You'll find that the wine will change with time, air, and warmth. When you go

back over your notes, you might be amazed at the changes. 5. Stop Holding Back Bottles - I'm as guilty as anyone of saving wines instead of enjoying them. Without

waiting for a special occasion, invite friends over and open some of those gems you've got stashed away.6. Visit A Local Winery - You’ll be amazed at the diversity of wines and styles.7. Try Different Wines - There are more than 5,000 grape varieties in the world, but many of us

drink the same one, or ones, week after week (the equivalent of eating chicken every night). 8. Try A Wine You Think You Don’t Like - Are you sure you don’t like Riesling?

Things change, including your taste.9. Order the Least Expensive Wine On The List - This takes courage, but I've found that

many restaurant wine buyers work hard at finding great deals. Why not take advantage?10. Enroll In A Wine Appreciation Class - Taking a wine class can be a fun and

un-intimidating way to learn more about wine. Whether you take a class on the basics or one with a narrower focus, you'll learn something new and have fun in the process.

Monica Chappell teaches wine appreciation classes in Lafayette, Walnut Creek, and Danville. For upcoming classes, go to www.wineappreciation101.blogspot.com.

Featured Wine of the Month(as featured in the Danville Wine Stroll)

2005 Odd Lot,Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

$12.99

2008 Odd Lot,Russian River,

Chardonnay $9.99

Extra 20% OFF any Full Case! Extra 10% OFF any Four Bottles!

The Mustang Blaze U-12 Girls won the Mustang Stampede Gold Division Championship with a come from behind 2-1 win over the U12 Palo Alto Blue Thunder. Pictured are: (Front row, L-R) Sacha Berestka, Isabella McHugh, Olivia Ringgenberg, McKenna Erickson, Samantha Ross, Emily-Kate Gandsey, Rebecca Outcalt, (Back Row L-R) Coach Manny Medina, Hallie Dawson, Tessa Wolfgram, Alex Wilson, Christina Buselli, Blaire Southmayd, Julia Luzzi, Nicole Crenshaw, Samantha Mescall, and Mia Hibberd.

The Mustang Impact U-10 Girls won the Mustang Stampede Gold Division Championship with a hard fought 1-0 win over the Gryphons U-10 Girls. Pictured are: (Standing L-R) Head Coach Gina Medina, Julia Patterson, Lindsay Mescall, Kaleigh Olla, Kendall Madsen, Callie Stone, Kylie Yarwood, Monique Zarling, Asst. Coach Manny Medina (Sitting L-R) Kinsey Brillheart, Shelby Bowen, Kelli Hourihan, Tatiana Berestka, Bailey Smith, and Sierra Ransweiler.

Boy Scout Troop 36 from Danville recently completed a High Sierra 50 mile backpack in Yosemite, spending a week hiking through snow and climbing to elevations of 9,926 feet at the peak of Clouds Rest overlooking Half Dome. From left to right, Jake Auby, Jordan Weil, Jesse Wenger, Aaron Coleman, Austin Steele, Doug Andres, Matthew Fraysse, Jeff Andres, Scoutmaster Thomas Dittrich, Jeffrey Weil and Ed Wenger. (not shown, Nick & Chris Sharrock and Scott Ficken). To learn more about Troop 36 visit http://troop36.net.

[email protected]

way full-size trees develop in a natural setting enhances your ability to plan for the style that will best suit the tree you have chosen. Making the first cut is a terrifying experience for many beginners. “It’s ok. Why don’t you make a mistake,” K urges. Making a mistake is the best way to learn a lesson you will never forget.

Club Secretary Steve Huskins refers to the daily care demanded by his bonsai as “limitless entertainment.” His favorite aspect is watching a tree develop and “seeing it grow into the tree you’ve planned for should that ever happen.” Lois Naye agrees. “Bonsai is a continuing art. Nothing is ever finished.” Although she has enjoyed many other hobbies including refinishing furniture and restoring antique clocks, Lois says, “Bonsai is the most interesting of the things I’ve done.”

Byron Nobriga, Club President, explains, “You have to keep at trees. They don’t grow the way you want them to.” At a recent Diablo Bonsai Club workshop at Tassajara Nursery, Nobriga sought K’s advice on a pine he has been working with for 10 years. He’s wired it and supported it with a stainless steel stake and is ready to take the next step in shaping the tree. “I think I’ve been patient long enough, but K will probably just tell me to let it grow.” Stressing trees to get them to contort or even straighten as

they may have in response to wind, drought or abundant sunshine may involve the use of clamps, supports, tie-downs, or fishing weights in addition to wiring.

Sensei Akabane prefers to use trees he has grown from seed because they grow quickly, and he can control all the important elements of the trees development: roots, base, branches, and apex. He is also expert at taking a tree in a nursery pot and pruning it down so it can be trained into a bonsai. A specimen ready for exhibition will have the proper spatial relationship between trunk and overall size and will have the shape of a scalene triangle sketched by the first two branches and the apex. But in order to get the trunk to grow to sufficient size, branches extraneous to the ideal may be kept temporarily. Byron explains that it takes about six months to prepare a mature bonsai for exhibition. The size, shape, and condition of the pot are also important.

Bonsai nurseries grow trees in ground and dig them for the buyer. They will ask if you want to trim or “hack” the tree yourself or have them cut it. Taking three feet off the top of the tree provides a specimen with a full trunk. A lower branch can be pulled up and wired in place to form a new apex. Cut paste seals the wound and permits the “hack” to heal. Over time it will disappear.

K listens carefully as students explain their problems with each tree they have brought for his advice. Marcia Cozens learns that her maple needs more water,

Danville Today News ~ September 2011 -

We excel in the work we love...and our references prove it.

Designers and builders of pools and landscapes for 35 years.

SPECTRUM POOL AND LANDSCAPE INC. | 925-939-2905

License #511872

Byron Nobriga gets advice from K Akabane

Bonsai continued from front page

Bonsai continued on page 21

Top Ten Estate Planning Mistakes, Part 2By Robert J. Silverman, Esq.

In August, my article featured five of the top ten mistakes commonly made in the estate planning arena: 1) Not having a valid Will, 2) Not having a valid Power of Attorney, 3) Not having a valid Advance Health Care Directive, 4) Not having a valid Revocable Living Trust, and 5) Not titling your assets properly. Below, I’ll cover the next five, which are no less important. The stakes are

high, and thus the consequences of these mistakes can be extremely detrimental. 6) Making gifts imprudently. Despite good intentions, some donors lose

sight of the most basic consideration. Is making the gift prudent? Might the donor need the asset in the future? Will the donee handle the gift responsibly? If the donee may not handle it responsibly, establishing an irrevocable trust to control the gift can be very helpful.

For “convenience” purposes or to short-cut estate planning, many people add chil-dren to their bank accounts, or worse, to the title of their home (e.g. as “joint tenants”). On the surface, it seems like an attractive option. Usually, it’s a bad idea. In addition to potentially triggering detrimental tax consequences (see # 8 below), extraordinary care should be exercised when gifting a fractional interest (and retaining a fractional interest). A dangerous factor that is constantly overlooked is that, if not structured properly, the donor’s retained interest can be exposed to the donee’s creditors!

7) Failing to have optimal (or any) beneficiary designations. Upon the death of the owner, a “contract-based” asset, like a retirement account (IRAs, 401Ks, etc.) and life insurance policy are distributed to the designated beneficiary(ies); NOT to those entitled to your assets under your Will or Living Trust. Doing any of the following will subject the account/policy to probate unnecessarily: a) fail-ing to designate a beneficiary(ies), b) failing to ensure that the proper beneficiary designation form is on file with the retirement account custodian or life insurance company, or c) designating your “estate” as beneficiary. Also, be sure every ben-eficiary on file reflects your current wishes. Upon my recommendation, a recent new client checked his large IRA, and his ex-wife was designated – and this was certainly not the first time this ever happened! Finally, the type of designated beneficiary (e.g. individual, charity and/or a living trust) determines the critical question of whether and for how many years your beneficiary can “stretch” the inherited retirement account (e.g. an IRA) on a tax deferred basis.

8) Selling or gifting assets without first understanding the tax implications. Many donors don’t consider the sometimes serious tax ramifications of selling or gifting an asset – at least not until it’s too late. Potential income tax, property tax, gift tax and estate tax consequences should always be explored before a gift or sale transaction. The timing of a gift or sale (e.g. whether it occurs before or after the owner’s death) and the manner in which it occurs (e.g. whether it is an installment sale; gift in increments over a number of years; a 1031 tax deferred exchange; etc.) can have a dramatic impact on the resulting tax liability, and thus substantially affect the net financial benefit.

9) Not keeping your estate planning documents up-to-date. People, tax laws, families and personal finances all change. So, estate planning is not a one-time event or a static endeavor. Wise people visit their estate planning attorney periodically, as needed – perhaps every 3-5 years, or sooner upon the occurrence of any significant change in their personal, financial or family situation.

10) Not seeking advice from experienced professionals. “Estate Planning” can be a misnomer. When I talk to individuals and groups about estate planning, a common, sometimes half-joking, response is, “I don’t have much of an estate to plan.” While the economy has wreaked havoc on asset values, and many are financially constrained, everyone has an estate to plan. That’s because an estate is, most importantly, about your loved ones, not just your financial assets. Most successful people consult with trusted advisors - experienced legal, financial, insurance, and tax professionals - who play a meaningful role in protecting and enhancing their lives and that of their loved ones. Why? Because these matters have complexity, and the problem with trying to do it all on your own is that you don’t know what you don’t know…

Mr. Silverman is an attorney with Shapiro Buchman Provine Brothers Smith LLP, 1333 N. California Street, Suite 350, Walnut Creek, CA 94596; (925) 944-9700; [email protected]. His practice emphasizes Estate Planning, Trust Administration & Probate, Real Estate, and Business. Please call for a free introductory consultation.

This article is intended to provide information of a general nature, and should not be relied upon as legal, tax, financial and/ or business advice. Readers should obtain and rely upon specific advice only from their own qualified professional advisors. This communication is not intended or written to be used, for the purpose of: i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code; or ii) promoting, marketing, or recommending to another party any matters addressed herein. Advertorial


Clip NotesBy Jody Morgan

When the wretchedly ungrateful rose I am nurtur-ing rakes its claws across my arm or the heady scent of a raucously trumpeting hybrid lily overloads my senses, I take time out to get in touch with the quieter corners of my garden where the palpably pettable plants dwell. For me, fingering fuzzy foliage fos-ters the same sensation of security I felt as a child fondling a favorite stuffed animal.

Rubbing the leaves of the Peppermint-scented Geranium (Pelargonium tomentosum) is doubly rewarding. Soft as velvet to the touch, the foliage leaves your hands perfumed with peppermint. The botanical adjective “to-mentose” meaning covered with dense hair comes from the Latin tomentum, a stuffing for cushions composed of wool or hair. This fuss-free member of the Geranium family sprawls over walls or creates an aromatic carpet for a lightly shaded area. Deer don’t care for the felted foliage. Like many natives of South Africa, this is a tender perennial that can take short periods of temperatures below 32o, but tends to tatter in the cold. I cut mine back when it gets overgrown. Cuttings root easily, so I keep new stock growing indoors in winter just in case the weather turns exceptionally cold.

The Heirloom Garden at the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC displays the Peppermint-scented Geranium along with two of its cousins, an oak leaf variety called ‘Fair Ellen’ and a rose-scented aristocrat named ‘Lady Plymouth.’ Scented Geraniums, brought to Europe early in the 1630’s by John Tradescan, gardener to England’s King Charles I, reached the height of popularity in America in the 1830’s. They graced Victorian porches before falling out of favor for almost a century. But now their fragrant foliage (used in culinary concoctions and potpourris as well as textural accents for the garden) has brought them back in style.

Another South African import with a subtler presence is Helichrysum petiolare ‘Limelight’ known commonly as Licorice Plant for the relatively faint fragrance of the leaves. The parent species is listed as invasive in California because it has displaced native plants in fragile coastal habits

including those of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The far less aggressive cultivar ‘Limelight’ rarely flowers and is a short-lived perennial requiring replacement every two or three years. The chartreuse foliage lights up a shaded spot, spills over the rims of containers, and wanders through dry places. The leaves are as soft as a new flannel nightgown.

Where the plant grows wild in South Africa, Kooigoed, which translates as ‘bedding’ or ‘bedclothes,’ is the common name for Helichrysum petiolare. The leaves and flowers were used by the native people to stuff pillows. In addition to serving as an insect repellent, this stuffing was thought to have the power to treat restlessness thereby insuring a goodnight’s sleep. Although used medicinally along with many of its close relatives, some sources warn that all parts of the plant can be toxic if ingested. Definitely don’t take the English common name as a suggestion that this plant is a substitute for licorice, which comes from the root of the totally unrelated Glycyrrhiza glabra.

The plushest plant in my collection is known commonly as Wooly Lambs Ears because of the slight curve to the sensationally soft leaves which can grown up to 8 inches in length. Originally found growing on dry rocky hills from Northern Turkey to Southern Iran, this drought tolerant, deer resistant ground hugger, Stachys byzantine, gets its species name from its native region. Other common names including Bandage Plant and Woolly Woundwort refer to the historical use of the leaves as natural band-aids.

With silky silver foliage that never lacks luster on a moonlit night, Wooly Lamb’s Ears needs good drainage and rots if over-watered. In our climate a bit of shade is helpful, although full-sun is the usual recommendation in garden references. Perfect for a children’s garden or a garden for the blind, the foliage forms a soft edging along a path gently defining where foot traffic is permitted. Tuck plants into crevices in a rock wall for a delightful contrast of texture. The flower spikes are lightly scented, but they are often removed because they spoil the gracefully mounded appearance of the low-growing leaves. The straight species casts seeds in every direction, but ‘Silver Car-pet’ is sterile. Other selections named to emphasize their cuddly components include ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy’ and ‘Cotton Boll.’ For larger leaves choose “Big Ears.’ For a delicate dwarf only three inches tall try “Silky Fleece.’

Topping Trees?By Blaine Brende & Joe Lamb

At Brende & Lamb we get the oc-casional request to remove some or all of a tree’s crown, a process called topping. There are many reasons why people ask to have a tree topped: in-

creased light, better view, safer tree, reduced leaf litter. Though it seems counter-intuitive, topping almost always produces the opposite of the desired effect. Topping can decrease available light, mar the view, make a safe tree unsafe, and even increase leaf litter. Take, for example, topping to decrease the shadow cast by a tree. This may work in the very short term, but topping stimulates rapid growth, causing the tree’s crown to thicken, thereby cutting out light after just a few growing seasons. Over time, you get more light for your pruning dollar if instead of topping you give the crown a judicious thinning. When done correctly, thinning doesn’t over stimulate the tree, and it enhances the tree’s aesthetics instead of seriously, sometimes irredeemably, damaging it.

Another common misperception is that topping will make the tree safer; it almost always does just the opposite. Most topped trees decay at the point at which they were topped. Topping also stimulates production of long lanky shoots. Given that these shoots grow out of decaying wood, topping often turns a safe tree into a hazard that increases over time. Some of the more dangerous trees we’ve seen were topped years ago with no follow-up pruning. If you have a previously topped tree growing close to your home, it is a good idea to have a competent arborist give it a safety evaluation. Previously topped trees can be made safer by pruning to reduce wind-sail and by reducing weight on leggy branches.

People sometimes top trees to reduce leaf litter, but most trees respond

to topping by putting out a profu-sion of leaves to help repair the damage. In short order, the owner of a topped maple will spend more time with rake in hand than before the topping.

Topping to increase view is often done without realizing that the new view will include an ugly tree. If the tree in the view is a Bay, or a Eucalyptus, or any number of other fast-growing species, the topping will fail to provide view for long because the topped tree will soon produce sprouts that shoot up into the view. Well-planned pruning can often capture view, and it is often possible to enhance the beauty of the tree in the process. A beautiful view framed by a beautiful tree is far lovelier than a view over the top of an ugly and scarred tree.

Another frequent request for topping comes from people about to sell their homes who think that topping their trees will increase the sale price. Real estate professionals know that beautiful trees can raise property values by as much as 20%, whereas a topped tree can be a liability . . . something the bidder on your house might ask you to deduct from the sales price so that they can have the tree removed.

For further information about the perils of tree topping, go to the website of the International Society of Arboriculture and read the article at www.treesaregood.org/treecare/topping.aspx. If you are thinking about topping, please reconsider. It is possible to enhance view, increase light, and make trees safer without topping. Doing so does, however, require competent pruning by tree professionals.

If your trees need a little TLC, give us a call at 510-486-TREE (8733) or email us at [email protected] for a free estimate. Additionally, visit www.brendelamb.com to see before and after pictures, client testimonials, and work in your neighborhood. Advertorial


A hot tip from your local Landscape Architect: When it comes to planning an outdoor environment, my motto is: “every square inch has a purpose.”

Gardening Quote of the Month: “I do not understand how anyone can live without one small place of enchantment to turn to.” - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

If you would like me to write on any particular subject email your ideas to: [email protected] or for design ideas visit www.jm-la.com. Advertorial

Life in the Danville GardenGarden RoomsBy John Montgomery, ASLA, Landscape Architect #4059

Imagine your garden to be like your home; having different functions and places for varied activities, per-haps laid out in a similar fashion as the floor plan of your home. Rooms for activities, food preparation and dining, relaxation and contemplation, and work spaces can all be part of the intended vision of a garden design.

Particularly in Danville, we are very blessed to live in such a favorable envi-ronment which supports the idea of living inside/out. Current trends over the last decade have been moving towards using the outdoor environment as an extension of the indoor living space. It is very interesting to see some of my renovation projects with homes built in the1940 – 1950’s the way the land was used. For instance, take my home, built in 1948 on half an acre. The landscape entailed a small concrete patio (square), a small patch of turf, a few fruit trees, and the rest was left to go to seed. I find a lot of homes of this era like that. Today, I develop those unused areas into usable outdoor space, or garden rooms.

A home has a heart; so does a garden. Generally the kitchen and family room are the center of activity in a home. Well it is the same for a garden. Most folks in Danville enjoy the outdoors all-year-round making food preparation and din-ing outdoors desirable. I design a wide range of outdoor kitchens equipped with everything from 48” stainless steel grills, refrigerators, sinks, dish washers, lobster pots, woks, pizza ovens, keg-a-rators, and wine closets. Pretty much anything in the indoor kitchen can be recreated outdoors. Outdoor kitchens are great for either large parties or dinners for two. The patio space shaded by a pergola or arbor becomes the central room of the garden supporting activities such as eating and dining, conversations with friends and family, entertaining, playing games, or simply sitting quietly reading a book. At night, the fireplace, firepit, or heating umbrellas can take away the night chill for late-night entertaining.

For more rambunctious activities like swimming, soccer, croquet, hide-n-seek and tag, swimming pools and spas, large turf areas, and sport courts become the activity room or even the sports arena. For the avid golfer imagine your own putting green! On the other hand, if the bedroom and sleep is your thing for a nice relaxing Saturday afternoon, carve out a nice quiet corner of the garden for a hammock, chaise lounge, or an outright bed in a small garden cottage. I have designed several versions of an outdoor bedroom for clients; one was a “Sky-Bed” which was a platform you could pull yourself up into the tree canopy with using a pulley system, and then tie it off and take a nap in the tree tops. Another was a small garden cottage (10’ X 12’) that was for Mom and her two young daughters to have sleepovers in. I designed a fold-away Murphy/bunk bed so the cottage could double as play space for the girls during the day.

Lately, I find a fair amount of my clients working from home which gives the garden a completely different potential for use. With wireless capabilities for almost everything, imagine taking care of business poolside in your swim trunks while on a conference call with associates scattered halfway around the globe or sitting with your laptop hammering out the year-end financials while sitting next to a koi pond under the shade of a tree.

There are no limits to the ways you can use your garden. Garden rooms need not be overdone or complicated. Creating “garden rooms” is one approach to ef-fectively design the “floor-plan” of your outdoor environment.

www.yourmonthlypaper.comArt in Everyday LifeBy Tony Michael Vecchio

What artistic element could be the most prominent aspect of your everyday life? Your clothes! The art of ex-pressing your personal creativity in your wardrobe can be at once unique, wacky, and ultimately stylish. When you find handmade items in interesting places - or make them yourself - those pieces come with rich “back stories.” So, while you can buy a closet full of trendy clothing that fits your budget (and your body), you still need some deep-

tissue style sense, lest you find that everyone is wearing the same thing or your garment doesn’t look quite as hot on you as it did in the magazine ads.

“Fashion can be bought,” said Edna Woolman Chase, vaunted editor of Vogue Magazine back in its heyday. “Style one must possess.” This is devastatingly true. The point is that you need to know what looks good on you and what fabrics you like, and then you can work on building a wardrobe that makes you look like who you are inside and out. It’s all about simplicity.

Here’s an example for guys. You could drop $150 to $200 at Tommy Bahama on a faux Hawaiian shirt that’s just one notch above a trendy napkin design at Crate and Barrel. At that price tag, it should have range-free bamboo buttons and a recycled hang tag printed in biodegradable ink—for which you’ll pay for dearly. That’s okay, but then you’ll see it on about twelve other guys downtown over the weekend. An easy alternative is to browse eBay and pick up a vintage 1950’s Hawaiian shirt, the real deal, with palm trees, hula girls, or parrots. It’s not just designed in Hawaii but sewn there, too. When you score a shirt like that, you proudly own a piece of Americana that channels real island charm across the decades.

Once you start thinking about the many directions you can go in, you’ll enjoy individualizing some of your clothes. For one thing, I try to avoid wearing logos on my clothing. Cutting labels off of my new garments is a familiar ritual when I buy new clothes, whether a t-shirt, jeans, sweatshirt, shoes, whatever. Removing a brand label makes it mine. Then I’m free to add some color or otherwise modify my purchase. I might sew on a small piece or patch of fabric, paint designs on canvas sneakers, embroider on a t-shirt, sew something interesting on a hat.


Lic# 1100014354; Bay Area Entertainment

Latisse By Dr. Jerome Potozkin

Accidental discoveries happen all the time in modern medicine. Years ago Rogaine (Minoxidil) was discovered when patients taking Minoxidil noticed increased hair growth. This ultimately led to studies in which Minoxidil, when applied to the scalp, was shown to prevent hair loss. Some lucky individuals actually grow new hair with Rogaine. Today Rogaine is widely used to treat male and female hair loss. It was initially available with a prescription but is now

available over the counter.One of the newest exciting accidental discoveries involves Latisse to treat

eyelashes. The active ingredient in Latisse, Bimatoprost, was initially used as an eye drop to treat patients with glaucoma. These patients noticed that their eyelashes became longer and thicker. The exact mechanism of action is not known, but it is thought to increase the active growth phase of the hair follicle. I was amazed at the results of Latisse one night when I was out to dinner with my beautiful wife Monica. As I looked across the table into her eyes, I suddenly noticed how long and full her eyelashes appeared. When I asked her she told me that she had been using Latisse for about eight weeks. We had just started to dispense Latisse in the office, and I did not know she started to use it. The results were dramatic. I have heard similar stories from many patients. I have also had patients with almost no lash develop full eye lashes.

The marketing of Latisse was initially aimed at younger women desiring fuller lashes. However, we now know that many older women who have noticed thinning of their lashes are interested in using Latisse. As we age our lashes actually get thinner and we lose some follicles. Latisse can restore a more youthful appearing eye by creating fuller lashes.

Latisse is used by applying a small drop of liquid to a sterile applicator once a day. Many people use it on a daily basis for 2-4 months, and once they reach the desired result they will only use it 3-4 times per week. Side effects are uncommon and include redness and dryness of the eyelid. There is some misinformation about Latisse causing blue eyes to turn brown (as

opposed to the Crystal Gale song “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue”). When the active ingredient (bimatoprost) is used as an eye drop, it will cause some patients with dark eyes to turn darker. There are no reports of patients using Latisse applied topically to their lids having any change in eye color. It is widely regarded as being very safe.

As Latisse is a prescription, it must be prescribed by or be used under the supervision of a physician. We have been dispensing Latisse in our office since it has been available. If you are interested in having fuller eyelashes, feel free to call our office at 925-838-4900. The first ten patients to mention this article will receive a complimentary mild facial cleanser with any Latisse purchase. This offer expires on September 21, 2011.

Dr. Potozkin is a board certified Dermatologist who has been serving Danville since 1993. Please visit www.Potozkin.com for more information. Advertorial

So, here’s to finding and expressing your artistic sense in everything you wear. You can do this. When you open your mind to your own look—and feed it with clothing that expresses your style sense–you can express your personality just by getting dressed in the morning. When you alter a piece of clothing, you instinctively make that piece of clothing yours. It ceases to be a mass-market item, and that is an art form unto itself as you infuse your clothing with energy, with purpose, and with soul. Remember that word? We used to have soul—as a society, as a generation, as a way of life—and, in my opinion, it’s time to bring “soul” back. One way we can do that is via personal art.

As we anticipate Christmas and gift-giving under yet another cloud of eco-nomic woe and worry, maybe we can take the opportunity to veer away from our customary worshipping at the altar of the massive retail fashion giants. Rather than buying clothing to make more billions of dollars for some billionaire rap star whose name adorns a clothing line, consider, and embrace, your own creativity instead. Consider dressing in a way that expresses your soul. In the process, you might support a garage-fashion artist or a basement tailor-entrepreneur. Online, you can find crafters who major in the handmade, the one-of-a-kind, the daring. I suggest you look at esty.com, where many citizens of the creative under-and over-ground love making unique, logical, and wonderful clothes. You’ll be amazed, you’ll be inspired, and you’ll find clothing that’s perfect for you—and perfect as gifts for people you know.Local Art Events

The Village Theatre Art Gallery's next juried exhibition, Offerings; Works of Text and Image, curated by Cindy Shearer runs September 10 – October 29, with a reception on Saturday, September 10. The Eugene O’Neill Society is host-ing an art show featuring a variety of local artists’ work that includes depictions of subject matter related to the life and work of Eugene O’Neill. The exhibition can be viewed September 23 and 24 from 5-8pm, and September 25 noon to 2pm. The Alamo-Danville Artists’ Society exhibition, Artistic Reflections, continues through October 23 at the Blackhawk Art Gallery in Blackhawk Plaza.

Tony Michael Vecchio writes about visual art and style. If you have any com-ments, contact him at [email protected]. View his collage and assemblage work at etsy.com/shop/WabiSabiDaddi.


Suicide Among Young Adults By Estee Goren, MSc, MA, MFT

At one time or another, many teens feel over-whelmed, distressed, and helpless in a difficult life situation. Most suicidal thoughts and feelings emerge from an unresolved problem, intense anxiety, and intolerable pain. When one is in great distress, it is hard to think about anything other than the need to end the pain. The inability to think clearly and realistically may lead to the horrific conclusion that

suicide is the only option. Teens may not be able to grasp the fact that usu-ally time weakens the pain, that the difficulty may be temporary, and that eventually the situation will change. Moreover, some adolescents are unable to comprehend the finality of death.

Although many teens feel that they cannot talk to their parents about their difficulties, most will share their suicidal thoughts with friends. Fortunately, this allows someone to be aware of the situation and seek the professional help needed to save a life. Suicide is preventable, and suicidal behavior is temporary; research shows that most teens are a serious threat to themselves for only a short period of time.

It is important to realize that people who talk about committing suicide may eventually act on their impulses. Individuals contemplating suicide may give away their possessions, lose interest in upholding their appearance, and abandon activities they once found fulfilling. Additionally, they may show signs of depression and aggression. It is imperative that a parent or a friend who notices these signs seeks the help needed to overcome the situation and prevent a tragedy.

It is evident that those who survive suicide attempts are grateful to be alive, and in most cases, they do not attempt it again. It is vital for young

adults to recognize that their life is much more valuable than any temporary challenges they may be facing. For this reason, it is crucial that adolescents and teens discuss their situation with a parent, friend, counselor, or anyone else before they make the extreme decision of ending their life. They can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 to talk to a professional who is there to help. We all need to watch for the warning signs and take immediate action to keep our dear kids and friends safe.

Estee Goren, M.A., is a Therapist and Coach working with teens, couples, and young adults. She specializes in relationships, life transitions, marriage and family issues, and personal development. Her goal is to help others gain a new perspective, overcome personal challenges, and improve their overall well-being. For more information or to schedule a free introductory session please visit www.EsteeCounseling.com or call (925) 399-1177. Advertorial

Maintain your quality of life and enjoy your Grandchildren again!

Blackhawk Physical Therapy • 925.736.09004155 Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Suite 230 • Danville

Medicare Covered

See if you too can benefit from our 16 years of experience and latest physical therapy tech-niques and modalities. Ask about New Laser Therapy or Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression.

"After treatment, the pain is gone. I would recommend this treatment to everybody, Absolutely!" ~ Lorena B. - Surgical Nurse, SF

"I am now able to sleep straight through, the restful sleep I haven't experienced in 30 yrs. These machines were the answer to my problem." ~ Charles L. - Golf Pro, Aptos

"After treatment on the DRX9000 and Laser I have experienced the elimination of my knee, hip and back pain. Excellent quality of service." ~ Jeannie P. - Retired L&D Nurse, Alamo

"After two spine surgeries I had to be pushed in a wheelchair. After treat-ment on the DRX9000 I'm pain free and drug free.” ~ Sarina B., Rio Vista

"THE BEST THERAPY I HAVE EVER RECEIVED, more thorough-ness in treatment and more attention to my problems." ~ Twyla S. - retired, Danville

Pain or Stiffness?

The 21st Century Woman – Part IIHerbal Medicines for PMS and Menopause By Dr. Michael Ruscio

Many women have heard about anti-depressants or birth control for their PMS and menopausal symptoms, but what about natural herbal alternatives? Let’s take a moment to discuss what herbal medicines have to offer the 21st century woman so that you are aware of all your options.

In my last article we laid a good foundation, discussing the most common causes of female hormone imbalances.

If you didn’t read the article, the main premise was PMS and menopausal symp-toms are usually caused by hormonal imbalances. Building on this foundation, let’s continue with natural treatments.

We first need to break down female hormone imbalances as causing two differ-ent categories of symptoms; neurological and physical. Of course the mental and physical symptoms are linked and do influence one another, but to help understand natural treatments, it helps to discuss them separately.

Neurological symptoms typically result from an imbalance in brain hormones, technically known as neurotransmitters. There are three hormones that are of im-portance. They are serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. Serotonin makes you feel happy and helps you sleep. Dopamine helps you focus, be energized/motivated, learn, and not feel overwhelmed. GABA helps you relax. Most anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications work to increase serotonin, dopamine, and GABA.

Natural medicines and conventional pharmaceutical drugs can both increase serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. However, natural medicines may provide a safer alternative as the side effects are usually mild to none. Please don’t take my word

for it though; we will discuss what current science is showing in a moment.

Before we do, let’s address the physical symptoms associated with PMS and menopause. Most physical symptoms are caused by fluctuations or imbalances in estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen and progester-one share a yin-yang relationship, meaning they have to be in the proper balance relative to one another for a woman to feel well. The beauty of herbal medicines

is that they can restore your hormones to the appropriate level whether they are

high or low. This is referred to as a process called adaptogenicity. Let’s take a brief look at what modern science is showing.

For all of the following scientific research studies I will provide an ID number. If you would like to see this study yourself, simply go to www.pubmed.com and type the ID number in the search box.

A very well performed study (17461529) found that combining the herbs Black Co-hosh and St. John’s Wort provided significant relief for menopausal symptoms, especially hot flashes. Shortly after this study, another study was published (15863547) show-ing that in the 304 women studied, Black Cohosh was again an effective treatment for menopausal symptoms.

Another very effective herb is Chaste Tree (aka VitexAgnus). A study published in 2010 (20334585) showed that Chaste Tree was effective for treating PMS symptoms. In fact, all measured PMS symptoms (mood, water retention, food cravings, and pain) were significantly reduced within three months of treatment. Another study of 170 women (11159568) showed a similar positive effect on PMS with Chaste Tree.

If you’re asking yourself, “Aren’t drugs more powerful?”, you might find this interesting. A study comparing an anti-depressant medication to Chaste Tree showed nearly identical improvements in PMS symptoms (12672170). Let’s not forget about intimacy. A review of 26 published studies showed DHEA provided mood and libido improvements for women with adrenal fatigue (17208951).

Herbal medicines have much to offer the 21st century woman. One word of caution though, please be careful not to self-diagnose and treat. A skilled clinician can ensure proper use of herbal medicines, especially when it comes to navigating issues of quality control and dose.

If PMS or menopausal symptoms are bothering you, there is help. Invest the time and energy to feel better. Your family, friends, loved ones, and especially You deserve to have the healthiest, happiest version of you.

For more information, visit my YouTube page, www.youtube.com/michaelr-uscio, view my recent newsletter, http://conta.cc/oxAiNR, or email [email protected].

Dr. Michael Ruscio is the director of Functional Medicine at Johnson Chiroprac-tic Group, 115 Town & Country Dr., Suite E in Danville, 925.743.8210. Advertorial


PREVENTION OF FALLSIS VITAL TO A SENIOR’S WELL BEING

1545 Pleasant Hill Road • Lafayette, CA 94549

(925) 932-9910www.stratfordseniorliving.com

Lic.# 075601323

At the Stratford at Countrywood we have

a comprehensive Fall Prevention Program

including balance and exercise classes,

fall prevention education classes, and fall

risk assessments for all our residents.

As a valued new resident you will receive a

complimentary home evaluation by to

help determine your needs, including free installation

of safety devises and retrofitting to make your new

living environment comfortable and optimized to

minimize your risk for falls*

The Stratford at Countrywood is a proud supporter of The Fall Prevention Program of Contra Costa County, a partnership with Contra Costa County area

Agency on Aging, helping to reduce preventable falls.

Join us for the Second Annual Walk for Fall Prevention500 Ellinwood Way, Pleasant Hill

September 24, 2011 – [email protected]

JOIN THE STRATFORD TEAM BY CALLING (925) 932-9910

*Offer good though Oct. 31st, limited & subject to change.

The Eye OpenerBy Gregory Kraskowsky, O.D., Alamo OptometryHow Do I Take Care of My Glasses?

This question is one I get all of the time. Since a nice pair of glasses is an investment, it is prudent to know and understand how to best take care of your new purchase. Most of what is to follow is common sense, but some of these simple things can make a difference in the life and condition of your glasses.

The first thing to extend your frame life is to either have your glasses on your face or in your case. Most breakage and frame misalignment comes from glasses that are in bags without their case, left on the couch and sat on, etc. For the most part they are protected well when they are being worn and/or in your case. The other thing that most people do is stretch their glasses and/or sunglasses by putting them on top of their head. Since the upper part of your head is wider than the front, that stretching of the frames will eventually lead to a widening of the temples, stress on the hinges, and a loose fit on the face. This can obviously be fixed at our office, but if possible, it is best to put your glasses in your case when they are not in use. Lastly, it is highly recommended that you do not leave your glasses in the car for long periods of time. It is common for people to leave their sunglasses in their car when they go to work. The intense heat that can build

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness MonthBy Gigi Chen, MD

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer among women in the United States. About 21,000 women are diagnosed each year of ovarian cancer in the US. About one in 70 women develop ovar-ian cancer, and the mean age of diagnosis is 59. Increasing age is one of the strongest risk factor in ovarian cancer. Risk increases from age 20 to 80

then declines. Family history is the next strongest risk factor. Woman who have first degree relative as well as those who carry BRCA mutation are at increased risk for developing ovarian cancer. Other risk factors include diet high in animal fat, early menarch, and late menopause. Oral contraception is associated with decreased risk for ovarian cancer.

The screening of ovarian cancer is only recommended for high risk women such as those with strong family history of ovarian cancer and for women with BRCA mutation or HNPCC genetic mutation. Women do need to real-ize that false positive results in screening may lead to significant emotional distress and more invasive procedures.

Symptoms of ovarian cancer include abdominal discomfort, bloating, and abdominal distension. Treatment strategy includes surgery to remove as much tumor as possible, followed by chemotherapy according to the surgical stage and amount of residual disease. For some patients, it may be feasible to receive chemotherapy first before surgery depending on the clinical presentation.

A number of new drugs are being studied for treatment of ovarian cancer. One that has received most attention is Avastin which inhibits new blood ves-sel formation in tumors. A large trial conducted by gynecological oncology society compared chemotherapy alone to chemotherapy in combination with avastin and found that combination therapy followed by avastin maintenance slowed tumor growth significantly. More studies are underway to confirm the benefit of avastin in upfront ovarian cancer treatment after surgery.

A number of studies are looking at YOGA and exercise in reducing fatigue, sleep disturbance from cancer treatments. Studies show that YOGA can favorably alter circadian rhythm and improves anxiety and mood. Exercise also improves con-centration, nausea, sleep, and memory in patients undergoing cancer treatments.

Gigi Chen, MD is a Medical Oncologist and Hematologist with Diablo Valley Oncology. She sees patients in Pleasant Hill and in Walnut Creek. For more information call 925-677-5041 or go to www.DiabloValleyOn-cology.md where you will find Northern California’s most comprehensive online cancer library. Advertorial

up in the car over several hours can warp the frames (especially plastic), cause damage to the lenses, and cause the lenses to pop out because they no longer fit into the frame. If you are going to leave your car in the sun for a long time, take your glasses in with you to your office or home.

Now that you have taken care of the frame, it is time for the lenses. The first thing is to not clean the lenses dry. There are always small particles of dust or dirt that are on the lenses, and when these are not rinsed off, they are rubbed into the lenses and will eventually scratch them. It is common for people to use their shirt to clean their lenses; this is one of the worst things you can do. Always clean the lenses with soapy water or the lens spray we hand out at the office. To dry, do not use wood products such as tissues or paper towels. We always use cotton towels or microfiber cloths in the office and have found that they tend to work best because they are soft and do not leave lint on the lenses. To wet the lenses, we advise not to use the three A’s: alcohol, acetone, and ammonia. Any preparations with these ingredients will degrade the lenses quickly, especially those with an anti-glare coating. Even though the coatings we use at the office are excellent, they can still be scratched. We will redo the lenses for you unconditionally (except for loss) for a two year period if they are scratched regardless of reason. I tell my patients that using these ingredients (especially Windex which contains ammonia) is a good way of getting your lenses redone. Also, keep in mind that a majority of com-mercially prepared cleaning cloths contain alcohol. On occasion, this is fine. However, consistently using this type of product can degrade the lenses.

The cleaning cloths and cleaning solution that we give out with your glasses are the best ones for your eyewear. If you run out of solution, please bring back the bottle, and we will refill it for you. We also recommend bringing your frames in from time to time for adjustment, alignment, and tightening. As with most things, if you take good care of your glasses, they will give you a long time of comfortable, and clear, vision.

Dr. K. at Alamo Optometry is your hometown eye doctor for outstanding service, vision care, and designer eyewear. He can be reached at 820-6622 or visit his office at 3201 Danville Blvd., Suite 165 in Alamo. Visit our newly updated website at: www.alamooptometry.com and become a fan on our Alamo Optometry Facebook page. Advertorial


Call us and ask about Pentair’s IntelliFlo pump

which qualifies for a $100 PG&E rebate!

Serving AlAmo & DAnville Since 1979!

Still Have That Same Old Noisy Filter Pump?

Want to Save $900 a Year?

ACTION POOL REPAIR

925.820.3640Visit our website at www.actionpoolrepair.com

Want Soft Sparkling Algae Free Pool Water ? Ask about the IntelliChlor salt chlorine generator

FAQ's on CranioSacral Therapy (CST)By Marchelle Milligan

CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a healing modality that is becoming more well known. However, many people still have never heard of it and have many questions. I have provided below some of the top questions I get from clients.

1. What is CST? CST locates restrictions in the body and using a light touch helps to release them. Restric-

tions can be from compressed bones, tissues, muscle and scar tissue, to name a few, that cause an imbalance in the body. The restrictions can be from an injury, trauma, overuse or something you were born with. Freeing up these restrictions can relieve headaches, backaches, TMJ, vertigo, anxiety, depression, and much more.

2. What does CST do for headaches? Headaches and migraines are some of the most common complaints we treat with CST. The success rate is upwards of 80-90%. We find the cause of the headache (which could be in any part of the body, not necessarily the head and neck). People can be completely headache free, or they can have a significant reduction in severity and frequency.

3. What about back pain? The success rate is very high for back pain using CST. We specifically work with releasing restrictions in the spine and sacrum to free up movement and decrease pain.

4. Can you help with fluid retention? CST enhances fluid mobility throughout the entire body, therefore it helps fluid retention whether it is due to heart problems, kidney problems, mineral imbalance, or another cause.

5. Why do some people feel worse after treatment? While most people feel better after a craniosacral treatment, there are a few times that the symp-toms seem to feel worse. There are many reasons for this type of post-treat-ment discomfort. One is that the body is re-experiencing a previous trauma or injury as it is releasing from the tissues. Another reason is that the area is coming back to "life" after not having much feeling and the area is more sensitive. Often, the body had adapted to a malfunction. When we remove

the adaptation and we get closer to the cause of the problem, the suppressed pain comes back to the surface. In my experience, if people report feeling worse after a treatment, and we dissect the feelings, I usually find that there was some difference in the pain from before the treatment. Maybe it was the intensity of a headache or the duration. Maybe the pain felt a little bit different. I have also found that feeling worse often happens only one time, and subsequent treatments are an improvement in the problem.

6. How can you get results using such a light touch? With CST, we are trying to facilitate the body to make the correction. When you use more than a little force, you may recruit the patient's bodily defenses against your pressure. When the body defends itself, the tissues will tighten in an attempt to preserve the status quo. So, in CST we lighten up to allow the tissues to relax and self-correct without force.

7. Can it help with an injury from years ago? Yes. Because we are looking for the cause of a condition, it doesn't matter how long it has been there. We can still locate it and the allow the body to release it. Sometimes it takes a few more sessions because the body is so used to dealing with the restriction and has learned to function around it. However, I have had cases where pain was relieved on the first visit and never returned.

8. I don't really have a complaint, but can I still get CST? Yes, you can. We believe that CST is wonderful no matter how good you feel because we are helping to balance the central nervous system which enhances every system in your body.

9. How many sessions will I need? Because each person is unique, I cannot say how many sessions you may need. It varies from person to per-son. However, you will know if we are moving in the right direction within the first three sessions.

10. How much do you charge? The first session lasts one hour and is $75 (I give $15 off the first session). After that, you can choose from a 45-minute session for $75, or a one hour session for $90.

For more information about Marchelle Milligan and CranioSacral Ther-apy please visit www.therhythmwithin.org or call (925)286-6237. Marchelle is located at The Alamo Holistic Healing Center in Alamo. Advertorial

Calling all Instructors!The Town of Danville Seniors Services division is looking for qualified instruc-

tors to offer classes for adults 55 years and over at the newly renovated Veterans Memorial Building which is set to open early 2012. If you have the knowledge and skills to teach nutrition, health and fitness, language, craft, and/or hobby classes to adults over 55, you are encouraged to submit a proposal. Classes will be offered at various times including early evenings and weekends.

For more information on how to become a Town of Danville instructor, please contact Jenn Overmoe, Program Coordinator for Senior Services by email at [email protected] or by phone at (925) 314-3491.

Bonsai continued from page 15her ivy needs branches removed, and her willow is ready to be tied down to grow into a weeping style. Byron has been caring for an ancient Utah juniper a fellow club member asked him to save after it was left soaking too long while she was on vacation. K suggests applying a solution of root hormone and waiting to see whether the most stressed branches push new growth.

New members are welcome. No experience is necessary. Steve Davis joined Diablo Bonsai Club last year after winning a tree during a demon-stration at Golden Gate Park. He’d first seen bonsai many years before when he’d stumbled into the enormous exhibition at San Francisco’s annual Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival, an event Akabane chaired for many years. When he won his first tree, Davis joined the club to learn how to keep it alive. His juniper was wired for the demonstration. After eight months he removed the wire, and he has repotted the tree once.

Monthly meetings of Diablo Bonsai Club are held the second Tuesday of each month in the upper level Rotary Room at the Garden Center at Heather Farm. At 7:30pm the meetings begin with a half hour talk by Sensei Akabane on a topic of interest. Workshop time finds members critiquing one another’s trees. Jim Stalker, Treasurer, hopes that the club will find an affordable venue with lots of foot traffic to mount a show again this year with demonstrations to acquaint non-members with the art.

K came to the US in 1959 to work in the import/export trade. He realized as he worked temporarily for a landscaper that “plants respond.” Studying with a Japanese bonsai master in Oakland, K was amazed by how much knowledge he had absorbed helping his grandfather. Now he is happy to share his expertise with anyone patient enough to take time to talk with trees. Between meetings you can find him at Tassajara Nursery, which he and his wife founded in 1979. K does prune and repot large bonsai for customers lacking the time or skill to tackle a job that may take an entire day.

For more information about Diablo Bonsai Club, contact Byron No-briga: [email protected].


This type of fat transfer can effectively be used to fill the lines and depres-sions in the face and add fullness. More youthful lips and brows, stronger cheeks, natural eyelids, improved jaw lines, and facial contours can all be attained with fat transfer. With respect to breast procedures, fat transfer can be an effective technique for breast augmentation, breast contouring and even breast reconstruction.

In my practice, fat transfer is often incorporated with procedures such as facelift (rhytidectomy), breast lift (mastopexy) or reconstruction, and liposuc-tion. In most cases, these procedures are done under a light sleep anesthetic combined with local anesthetic injected at the donor site. Mild liposuction is used to remove the fat which is then processed to obtain the highest quality and number of fat cells and adipose derived stem cells. It is then injected into the desired areas in tiny droplets using a syringe.

The final result of fat transfer becomes visible by the end of the first month and improves over the first twelve months.

Plastic Surgeons spend years in training and continuing education learn-ing the most effective techniques to ensure a smooth, natural, and lasting effect. The use of advanced techniques increases the survival rate of the fat transferred. The fat that survives the transfer can last a lifetime, compared to manufactured fillers lasting four to twelve months. It is an investment worth considering… just like gold.

The risks of complications with fat transfer are not high, but, as with any proce-dure , I will review the associated risks with it prior to your fat grafting. It would be my pleasure to discuss how fat transfer may help you meet your goals as well as any other questions you have regarding plastic and reconstructive surgery.

OPEN HOUSE! Please come and meet me and my staff at our Thursday, September 22, 2011 Open House from 5-8 pm! We will have lots of door prizes, light appetizers and beverages. Our product specialists will be on hand to answer questions as well. Please call to let us know you are coming. I look forward to meeting you!

Barbara Persons MD owns Persons Plastic Sur-gery, Inc. located at 911 Moraga Rd. in Lafayette. Please call 925-283-8811 or email [email protected]. Advertorial

Your Precious, Natural Resource: FatBy Barbara Persons, MD, Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc.

Gold is a precious metal extracted from the earth… a natural resource. Pure.

In recent months, volatility in the world’s financial markets has led people to return to the quality and stability of natural resources like gold. Gold provides investors with a feeling of safety and security.

A strong parallel to the above can be drawn with the insecurity that many of us feel about our bodies when we age, go through the process of child birth, or suffer a physical trauma or injury. We feel a need to be confident again about our appearance, to return our bodies to our own gold standard.

Most patients with whom I consult have heard about engineered solutions such as Botox, Dysport, Restylane, Juvederm, Perlane, and Radiesse to reduce facial lines and wrinkles. What most people do not realize is that each of us already possess our own safe solution to the problem…fat.

A National Geographic News Online Edition article dated September 8, 2009 by John Roach provides poignant insight into how human fat is now being used in many new medical applications. The article mentions, unlike gold, “human fat is an abundant natural resource and a renewable one. The opportunity wouldn't be limited to the obese. Even if you're in great shape, there is still enough fat to be harvested from the vast majority of patients.”

Plastic surgeons are increasingly recognizing that the aging process is not only a result of sag and loss of elasticity but also a result of loss of youthful fullness due to fat loss under the skin. A relatively new technique of transplanting one’s own fat cells from one area of the body to another is now available. This procedure is extremely safe, as only the patient's own fat cells are used. There is no chance of rejection or allergic reaction. The process brings fat stem cells as well as mature fat cells to the area causing regeneration to occur. Glabellar creases, cheek folds, creases under the eyes, facial depressions, and hollow facial features can all be improved and, at times, eliminated.

I Wanna Soak Up the Sun... By Brandi Geiger MS, CMT

Well, now I can soak up the sun all year round with our new Sunlighten Infrared Sauna (as seen on Dr. Oz). It has been such a cool summer, I can't wait to stay warm and rejuvenated all year round with beneficial radiant heat like the sun but with out the harmful sunburn and skin cancer causing UV rays. The famous Danish writer Isak Dinesen might have been onto something when she said, “The cure for anything is saltwater, sweat, tears, or the sea.” Sweating is the body's safe and natural way to

regulate temperature and provides an important pathway for detoxification. With the average person having 2.6 million sweat glands distributed over the majority of the body, the skin is the largest organ for elimination. With ever increasing exposure to chemicals in our food, water, air, and indoor environment, break-ing a regular sweat is more important than ever. Infrared sauna therapy offers another way to sweat - a deep, healing, and detoxifying sweat - deeper and more thorough than the sweat of a traditional steam or heat sauna.

In a Sunlighten sauna, the average person sweats out 20% toxins and 80% water, whereas in a conventional sauna, the average person only sweats out 3% toxins and 97% water. Sunlighten has the latest technology in near, mid, and far infrared which extends the health benefits beyond detoxification. Infrared sauna therapy promotes relaxation, weight loss, wound healing and cellular health, reduces blood pressure, improves circulation, purifies the skin, and helps relieve discomfort from fibromyalgia, muscle, and joint pain.

What more could you ask for? Did you know you can burn 300-600 calories in a 20-30 minute session? Should I run for 20 minutes or relax in an infrared sauna for 20 minutes? I know what I'm going to pick! OK, I will have to do both so that I keep my heart and lungs healthy as well. However, the infrared sauna raises your core temperature three degrees which increases your metabolism and helps you burn more calories. If you are doing one of the many detox or weight loss programs in the area, this would be a great compliment to that.

We also added the “So Sound and Light Therapy” for your relaxation. Could

you ask for anything better? Maybe one for your own house? I could hook you up with that as well! However, that would take a lot of money and space plus, you can’t get away from the noise (ie; phones, kids, animals, spouses etc.) and lose yourself in a relaxed environment without any interruptions. The “So Sound and Light Therapy” will take you to a deeper level of relaxation for a more fit mind and body. You can also grab three of your closest friends and have an infrared party. It fits four close friends...friends that sweat together, stay together!

We are so excited to have our sauna delivered on Wednesday, September 7th that we are offering a special of 10 sessions for $250 to the first 25 people. That's a saving of $100. Now you can afford to get a massage or a facial with your sav-ings! Stick with me, I will take good care of you! For more information about our services, visit www.fitmindnbody.com or my business partner Jennifer Cross who does skin care at www.skinsavvydanville.com. You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter at Fit Mind n Body. I'm excited to bring you an abundance of health and wellness solutions including massage, personal training (Fit Mind n Body Personal Training Studio is coming soon), nutrition services and Trigger Point Performance education. My business partner provides skin care services including facials, DermaSweep, chemical peels, and waxing. My office is located at 55 Oak Ct. #130 in Danville. You can email me at [email protected] or contact me at (925)984-9259 for appointments or more information.

Eat Well, Live Well, Be Well Advertorial

Free Baseball Symposium San Ramon Regional Medical Center’s Sports Performance Institute (SPI)

offers a free Baseball Symposium, Strategies for Healthy Performance, designed for student athletes, parents, coaches, and trainers on Saturday, September 17th from 8:30AM to noon. There will be no charge.

Sports medicine physicians will speak on exercises designed to reduce injuries and development performance, updates on throwing and pitching me-chanics, and risk factors for injuries in young baseball players. Trainers from the Sports Performance Institute will demonstrate conditioning techniques.

Space is limited and advance registration is requested. To register, call (800) 284.2878 or register online at “Find an Event” at www.OurSanRamonHospital.com.


Danville Today News ClassifiedsReach over 14,500 homes and businesses in Danville 94526 - Help Wanted, For Sale, Services, Les-

sons, Pets, Rentals, Wanted, Freebies... $35 for up to 45 words. $5 for each additional 15 words. Run the same classified ad in our sisters paper “Lafayette Today” and/or “Alamo Today” and pay half off for your second and/or third ads!Send or email submissions to: 3000F Danville Blvd #117, Alamo 94507 or editor@yourmonthly-

paper.com. Payment by check made out to “The Editors” must be received before ad will print. Your cancelled check is your receipt. We reserve the right to reject any ad.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Name_________________________________________ Address__________________________________________ # of Words_______________

Phone________________________________________ Email ____________________________________________________________________

C L A S S I F I E D ELECTRICAL WORKEVERYTHING ELECTRICAL! Need new light fixtures, ceiling fans, recessed lighting, or track lighting installed? Need a dimmer switch or GFCI installed? Do you want to change the color of your outlets in your kitchen or install 220V power for the new hot tub or stove? I also troubleshoot electrical problems. FREE ESTIMATES. Licensed and bonded. 30 years experience. CALL 925-389-6964.

P L A C E Y O U R C L A S S I F I E D H E R E !

Guild continued from front pagemittee, and they agreed that it would be a great Fundraiser, thus, the Blackhawk Bargain Basement Sale was born. In September of 2010 the first sale was held in the “basement” of the Blackhawk Museum.

The Blackhawk Guild has spent this spring and summer working on their second annual “Blackhawk Bargain Basement Sale” also known as the BBBSale which is patterned after the highly successful “White Elephant Sale” that the Oakland Museum has been holding for 53 years.

Under Joyce's direction members have been collecting, sorting, and pricing do-nations including clothes, toys, books, jewelry, sporting goods, housewares, china, crystal, Christmas items, art objects, and linens. The sale will be held September 9th, 10th, and 11th at the Museum. For $20 a special Friday evening (September 9th) event will be held from 5pm-8pm. The doors will be open to guests who will have the privilege

of early shopping accompanied by wine and light hors d'oeuvres. On Saturday and Sunday the sale will be open to the public (no entrance fee) from 10am to 4pm.

Proceeds from the BBBSale will support the “Children’s Education and Trans-portation Fund” which provides school children from all over the Bay Area with bus transportation to have a museum experience. The funds also support exhibitions that are educational for both children and adults.

The museum offers some of the most unique and classic automobiles in the world! They are truly “rolling sculptures.” A docent lead tour is held every Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. Group tours can be scheduled by calling (925) 736-2277x239. For more information on the museum, visit www.blackhawkmuseum.org.

The Blackhawk Museum Guild meets at the Museum at 10am the second Wednesday of each month except August and December, and welcomes guests to these meetings to get acquainted. Meetings feature interesting speakers and presentations. For information about the Guild, please call 925.736.2277 and leave a message at extension 651.


Data presented in this column is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the Contra Costa and Alameda MLS service and other quoted sources. Joe and Nancy Combs, J. Rockcliff and the MLS service do not guarantee the accuracy of this information. DRE #0144125.

Perfect “10” 5 beds, office, huge bonus room, kitchen family room flow,

exquisite mill work, views $2,095,000

Perfect in every detail inside and out. 4 bedroom, 3.5 bathrooms. Huge outdoor entertainment

area and pool. $1,550,000

Stunning John Clausen Custom. Great kitchen - family room flow,

office and exercise room $1,395,000

The perfect downsizer. Designer inspired. Two master suites, lovely gardens, pool,

and spa. $889,000

Single story, 5 bedroom, 4.5 bath, gated en-trance, chef’s kitchen, pool and pool house.

$1,699,000

Four bedroom, two bath, single story. Magnificent pool and landscaping.

RV parking. $799,000Westside Alamo Single StoryBlackhawk Single Story

J. Rockcliff Realtors 15 Railroad Ave., Danville CA. 94526

Alamo Westside Mediterranean Alamo Westside Complete Remodel

Alamo 5 Bedroom Custom

Danville Single Story

Professionals YouCan Count On

The Combs Team

Nancy Joe

www.TheCombsTeam.com

®Call the Combs Team

925-989-6086

SOLD

Danville Home Sales 2011Price Range Units Sold Days on Mkt. Avg. Sold Price Avg. Size* $ Per Sq. Ft.$0-$999,999 357 46 660,402$ 2,158 306$ $1mm- $1.499mm 70 40 1,157,044$ 3,443 336$ $1.5mm-$1.999mm 10 49 1,713,245$ 4,098 418$ $2mm plus 4 105 2,593,750$ 5,589 464$ *Imputed Size in Square Feet

81% of Danville Homes Sell for Less than $1,000,000I last looked at sales by price band for Danville in March of last year and

wanted to see what changes have occurred relative to the data I used in my last article. Most notably, only 80% of total sales in Danville were below a million dollars the last time I looked. A year later, in 2011 that percentage has increased 1%.

The imbedded chart provides some insight into the market dynamics for the year to date through August 29th. 357 of the 441 homes sold, or 81%, sold for less than a million dollars. The imputed average size for these homes was 2,158 square feet and the average per square foot price was $306, which is about 5% lower than the number reported last time. The average sales price of this tier is

a bit above the middle at $660,402.Sixteen percent of the sales fell in the range between one million dollars

and $1.499 million. This price range is down in unit sales by 10%. On average these homes were 3,443 square feet in size. The average price paid was pretty close to the bottom of the price range at $1,157,000. This year’s home is ap-proximately 200 square feet larger than I last reported which means buyers are getting more house for less money.

Above the $1.5 million mark, sales were a much smaller fraction of overall sales and accounted for only 2 % of total sales compared to 3% in my last report. These 10 homes carried an average sales price of $1,713,245 pretty close to the

midpoint of the range. The average size of these homes was 19% larger than the last band at 4,098 square feet. Square foot price was significantly different from the last band at $418 per square foot. At the end of the day, to purchase a home in this price range, a buyer must be golden. To keep his mortgage within the one million tax deductible mortgage interest range he would need to bring $714,000 in down payment and qualify for a million dollar mortgage. That 10 buyers in Danville presumably met these criteria so far this year is pretty impressive.

The four homes that sold for more than $2 million in 2011 accounted for less than 1% of Danville sales, down from 2% last year. (If I remember correctly, approximately 23 homes sold for more than two million during the housing market peak.) The average sales price for this group when I reported last was $2,636,875. In 2011 it has slipped to $2,593,285. Homes closed in this price range tended to be large and averaged 5,589 square feet in size. These newer ultra-luxury homes, carried a per square foot price of $464 dollars or about a 15% premium over the bottom tiered properties. At the peak these homes would have commanded a price per square foot of more than $600. That would have placed their average value at market peak at somewhere around $3.3 million.

Puzzling to me in making these data comparisons is that unit sales of the high end homes, the top two tiers, continue to fall in the face of declining prices. Last year, I was convinced that sales pace for these homes would increase as borrowing became easier and buyer confidence gradually returned. That total sales across all price bands in Danville have not really improved is even more disturbing. That said, 2011 still has a few months to go and perhaps the market will spring upward and confirm my earlier optimistic predictions. Let’s hope so.

If you are thinking about selling your home and would like an honest opinion of its market value, please give me a call 925-989-6086, or send me an email [email protected]. Nancy and I will be happy to help.

danville today news, september 2011

Documents

tree alive

japanese term bonsai

local diablo bonsai

worldclass blackhawk

guild members

necessary time

centuries old art

new idea